Steven Gerrard's career as England captain has, like so many before him, been a tortured one. Often leading a side with the Premier League's supposed best, he and his teammates keep finding--or just rehash the old ones--ways to exit major international tournaments at the earliest possible opportunity. Their managers are typically quite helpful in this regard, and Roy Hodgson has been no exception. Vintage stuff yet again from the Three Lions.
But for Gerrard this could be the last time suiting up, as there's talk abound that he's going to give up international football after England's final match in Brazil, a move many had expected despite assertions that Hodgson wants him for years to come. Gerrard deferred when asked earlier today about the possibility, noting that he's going to take some time away before making any final decisions:
"There's no truth that I'll be making any announcement within the next week. I spoke to the manager to ask for some time to think about my [international] future. I will not be rushing into a decision. I am still hurting very bad. I'm broken from what's gone on over the last couple of weeks. I need to clear my head before I make that big decision."
All things considered, it hasn't been an especially enjoyable few months for Steven Gerrard. From the emotional heights of the Manchester City win to the slip against Chelsea that saw Liverpool fall out of the title race to whatever it was England tried to do in Brazil, so time away to clear his head is probably for the best. Hopefully during that time England replace Roy Hodgson, too. That would probably help.