Gerrard haunted by fear he'll never win the title

Steven Gerrard admits he is haunted every day by the thought of missing out on the Premier League title.

It is the only major club honour absent from Gerrard’s collection – he has won the Champions League, UEFA Cup, FA Cup and Carling Cup with Liverpool.

But he looks set for more disappointment this season and, at 31, is running out of time in his attempts to lift the domestic title before he retires.

The Reds skipper says he thinks about it constantly and confesses he would be distraught if he ended his career without getting his hands on the Premier League trophy.

“It’s something I think about almost every day,” he said. “I always think about the dream of winning it - or the disappointment if I was never to win it.

“Of course, it would be hugely disappointing if it didn’t happen. To have played at Liverpool for what will, hopefully, be 14 or 15 years by the time I finish and not win it would be hugely disappointing.

“It would be an awful shame. But it won’t be for a lack of trying.

“With the squad we have now, if we can keep improving and progressing and adding to it in the next few years, I think we’ll have a really good chance of becoming champions.”

Gerrard grew up in the 1980s watching Liverpool win title after title with Kenny Dalglish, first as a player, then as manager. But the England star believes the competition is fiercer now than it was then.

“I’ve played in an era where there have been three, four or five top teams in the league,” said Gerrard. “When Liverpool dominated, they were so good they often turned it into a one-horse race right from the start of the season.

“In my time, we’ve been fighting with Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and now Manchester City and Spurs. They have all been, or are, fantastic teams. It’s a really difficult competition to win, but we’ll always keep fighting.”

Gerrard, who is recovering from an ankle infection, will never give up on his title dream and feels Liverpool can challenge again after a couple of seasons in the doldrums.

He is encouraged by Dalglish’s signings this year and says it is now time for everyone in the team to deliver.

“It was great to see so many players come in,” he said. “It wasn’t just during the summer either. There was also Luis (Suarez) and Andy (Carroll), who still feel like new signings because they came halfway through last season.

“Since then, we’ve added Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson, Craig Bellamy, Stewart Downing and Sebastian Coates. The majority of them are strong British lads, who know the league well. They’ve also got quality.

“The squad is looking stronger - probably the strongest we’ve had for a long time. Now it’s all about delivering.

"The tools are all there. Now we need to work hard, focus on each game and try to build on what we’ve shown over the last 20 or so games.

“At Liverpool, your standards have got to be so high every single week. You have to perform every time.

"That’s what I’ve had to do every year and that’s what the new lads are coming to terms with.”

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STEVEN GERRARD'S TROPHY HAUL

FA Cup: 2001, 2006

League Cup: 2001, 2003

FA Community Shield: 2001, 2006

Champions League: 2005

UEFA Cup: 2001

UEFA Super Cup: 2001, 2005

and Premier League near-misses...

2002 Runners-up

2009 Runners up