One of soccer's few remaining 'monogamists', Steven Gerrard is having his fidelity to under-performing Liverpool tested like never before.
January's transfer window is sure to revive speculation that the all-action midfielder will leave the team he captains.
Six months ago Gerrard agonised over whether to join Roman Abramovich's rouble-fuelled revolution at Chelsea, eventually opting to stay at Liverpool because Anfield felt like home.
Having been given reassurances that the club's ambitions matched his own, the midfielder then watched England striker Michael Owen leave Anfield for Real Madrid.
Liverpool's league challenge duly got off to a stumbling start, a familiar scenario for a club that holds the record of 18 English title wins but has not won one since 1990.
The Anfield air has been soured by the revival of a groundshare plan with city rivals Everton that is widely opposed by both clubs' fans, and by Everton's astonishing rise to second in the table behind Chelsea.
A battle for control of the Liverpool boardroom has compounded uncertainty and Gerrard's frustration boiled over on the eve of their make-or-break Champions League clash with Olympiakos Piraeus on December 8.
"This is not just about Steven Gerrard in the summer or January," the 24-year-old player said.
"I want to play Champions League football. It's as simple as that."
ASTOUNDING GOAL
The next day he scored an astounding goal to keep his side in the competition, his exquisitely struck half-volley in the dying minutes a coup de theatre to rival any at Anfield.
It was a perfect illustration of Gerrard's ability to single-handedly change the outcome of a game and his importance to Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez and the club's chances of joining Chelsea in breaking the Manchester United/Arsenal hegemony.
Gerrard has matured into England's most complete midfielder -- he tackles hard, his distribution is superb and he scores goals regularly. Only Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Arsenal's Patrick Vieira, a World Cup-winner with France, are of a similar stature in the Premier League.
Gerrard was just eight when a scout first spotted his potential and he learned his trade at Liverpool's soccer academy. He loves the northern city where he was brought up and the club he joined as a trainee in February 1998.
"I've got absolutely no intention of ever going to play at another club," he told an interviewer in April 2002.
Life was pretty good at that time. Liverpool had won the FA Cup, UEFA Cup and League Cup the previous season, they were to finish second in the Premier League and Gerrard was preparing for the 2002 World Cup.
However, the injury-plagued player missed the tournament because of surgery on a groin problem and he struggled to find his form in the following campaign.
UNITED INTEREST
Made captain in 2003/4, Gerrard responded with probably his best season, piloting Liverpool to fourth spot in the league and linking superbly with Owen.
As the season drew to a close, the admiration of Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson, who must one day replace his captain and midfield warhorse Roy Keane, spilled over.
"He has become the most influential player in England, bar none. Not that Vieira lacks anything, but Gerrard does more," Ferguson told the Sunday Times.
"To me, Gerrard is Keane. He is where Keane was when Roy came to us in 1993. Everywhere the ball is, he is there."
The departure in August of Owen, also seemingly wedded to Liverpool for life, came as a severe shock to Gerrard who six weeks earlier had turned down Chelsea at the last minute.
Gerrard admitted he had been unhappy with Liverpool's performance for the previous two seasons but, after talking with his family, he decided to stick with his hometown team.
However, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is not alone in his belief that Gerrard will end up at Stamford Bridge, especially if Liverpool once again fail to claim a trophy this season.
"Chelsea will sooner or later take who they want," said the Frenchman.
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