Liverpool has big void to fill

While the bond formed by 17 years of sterling service to his boyhood club ensures Steven Gerrard's exit will be an emotional occasion, his ageing legs and dwindling reserves of energy mean the hero of yesteryear had already departed.

Gerrard, who announced on Friday he was quitting Liverpool at the end of the season for a new challenge abroad, can rightfully lay claim to being one of the club's true greats.

But the days when he would drag Liverpool over the line by by sheer strength of will, when his mere presence on the pitch meant no situation was so dire that he could not conjure an improbable escape, are now gone.

The reality was that had Gerrard stayed at Liverpool, his appearances were going to become more sporadic.

At 34 years old, he had entered the period in most careers when talk turns to protecting tired legs from the exertions of the modern game.

Questions started to be asked about whether he could still be an effective part of manager Brendan Rodgers' side, where a high - intensity pressing game seemed to be the preferred method of attack and defense.

He was able to make a big impact on Liverpool's title challenge last season largely because the manager created a role for him, tailor - made to enhance his assets and hide his growing weaknesses.

As Gerrard arrowed long - range passes into the feet of forwards Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in one of the most attacking Liverpool sides in recent years, few questioned his place in the side.

Yet with Suarez gone and Sturridge injured for most of the current campaign, Gerrard has been a shadow of last season's playmaker, with his passing range counting for little with the more sedentary Mario Balotelli leading the Liverpool line.

Without a moving target to aim for, teams came armed with spoiler tactics to restrict Gerrard's creative influence and Liverpool's title challenge was over before it had barely begun.

It is fair to say, therefore, that the biggest impact of his departure is likely to be the lack of his gargantuan presence behind the scenes - especially on a club where there is now arguably not a single player who can truly be called world class.

Former defender Jamie Carragher, who shared many of Gerrard's finest moments, was among those calling for the club to make more effort to retain Gerrard for precisely that reason.

"I look at what is happening with Ryan Giggs at Manchester United now and I am dismayed that Liverpool isletting that experience leave," Carragher said.

Giggs, however, was ushered into a coaching role from a recent title winning side, without the micro - analysis of his situation every time he started a match on the bench.

Gerrard was never going to be afforded that luxury on a struggling Liverpool outfit.

If he started on the bench, he was always going to be the center of attention, win lose or draw, which was part of the reason for the timing of Friday's statement on his future.

"I am making the announcement now so that the manager and the team are not distracted by stories or speculation about my future," he said.

If there is some solace to be had for Rodgers as he begins to make plans for a life without Gerrard, it perhaps lies in the fact that arguably the team's best performance of the season came with his captain on the bench.

The midfielder was a mere observer as Liverpool recreated last season's attacking verve in a 4 - 1 victory over Swansea City a few days after Christmas.

There remains, however, a sense that Liverpool has a squad with few natural leaders.

A transfer policy that has focused primarily on recruiting young talent with potential rather than finished products means there are few standout candidates to replace Gerrard as captain.