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As Anfield prepares to celebrate Steven Gerrard ’s glorious past, the Liverpool FC skipper is looking to the future with relish.

Fully recovered from the shoulder operation which forced him to miss the end of last season, the inspirational midfielder is ready to lead the charge once again for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

On a personal level, 2013/14 will bring another host of significant landmarks.

Currently eighth in the club’s all-time appearance list on 630 games, he’s set to climb above the likes of Tommy Smith, Phil Neal, Ian Rush, Emlyn Hughes and Ray Clemence over the next nine months.

In October it will be a decade since Gerard Houllier handed him the captaincy and over the course of this season he will become the longest serving skipper in the club’s 121-year history.

Gerrard will beat the mark set by Scotland international Alex Raisbeck, who wore the armband from 1899 to 1909.

In pictures: LFC captains down the years

It will be a source of great pride but, typically, it’s the twin targets of adding to his medal collection and restoring Liverpool back among Europe’s elite which truly motivates him.

“I realised it was coming up to 10 years as captain,” Gerrard said.

“As I have gone along I have made certain personal achievements which are nice and they are good bonuses to what you really want out of the game.

“But my main focus is achieving stuff with the team. My focus now is to try and win a couple of trophies before I hang my boots up and try to get this club back in the Champions League.

“They are my main priorities and I’m feeling good. The operation wasn’t serious, it was basically a little bit more than keyhole surgery to fix a tear in my shoulder.

“I was playing with it for three or four months but it was getting worse and worse.

“I think I made the right decision going in a few weeks earlier because it has meant I can get a full pre-season under my belt.

“If you get that full six-week pre-season in then if you get any niggles throughout the season you have your base.

“It’s a big season, especially with the World Cup next summer.”

Gerrard’s strong bond with the club’s supporters brings with it a unique burden of responsibility.

The Kop always expects the local lad to deliver – but he continues to thrive off those sky-high expectation levels.

In pictures: Steven Gerrard's LFC career so far

“I think that pressure helps with your own performances and your own form because you are always striving for the top,” he said.

“When you have that relationship you don’t want to let the fans down. You want to maintain a high standard every time you go out and play.

“But it also has the other effect, too. It’s tough.

“Liverpool fans are a tough crowd – the expectations and what they demand from players every single game, whether it be the third round of the Carling Cup or the Champions League final, you are expected to perform at the same level.

“They are only ever happy when they win.

“It does come with pressures and demands but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

“I don’t think I would enjoy it if I played at a club where there wasn’t the same demands and pressures. That’s what I enjoy: big games and big pressure situations.”

The one-year contract extension Gerrard penned last month will keep him at Anfield until the summer of 2015. By then he will be 35.

“I don’t know if I’ll play beyond that,” he said.

“It will be a case of taking each season as it comes.

“But I certainly think I can play at the level I have been playing for the next two years.

“Physically, I’m feeling really strong.”

Last season Gerrard’s talents were utilised in a more defensive role for both club and country.

He is happy to dictate play from deep but insists he can still embark on those rampaging trademark runs into the penalty box when given a licence to attack.

“I think it will be mixed up depending on what formation Brendan decides to play,” Gerrard said.

“He does alter his midfield three. Sometimes he plays with a single pivot and two advanced, sometimes he plays with two controllers and one in front.

“What is good from my point of view is that I can probably play both roles.

“Whatever the manager asks I’ll try to do it.

“Roy Hodgson has been playing me a lot deeper for England as well. Both roles are quite similar which suits me.”

The progress Liverpool made in the second half of last season gives Gerrard hope ahead of the new campaign.

Over the coming weeks he wants that optimism to be fuelled by Luis Suarez staying put and the Reds splashing the cash on some significant new signings.

“The form we showed from January onwards gives me confidence we can compete for the top four,” he said.

“If the manager gets a few more signings in and we manage to keep Luis that strengthens us an awful lot.

“The manager went on record saying the signings he’s made so far were to strengthen the squad and give us more strength in depth.

“There is no doubt about it that we need a couple more.

“Man City have made three or four, Chelsea will make two or three and Manchester United are ready to spend, while Arsenal are trying to get our top player.

“We need to make sure we don’t fall further behind.

“It’s hard and it’s getting harder, especially with Liverpool not having the pull of Champions League football.

“When top players become available, you aren’t at the top of the queue to attract them like we could four or five years ago.

“But there is certainly the basis here for a top team and we have a good manager who has got us playing the right way.”

Steven Gerrard promising testimonial surprises

STEVEN GERRARD'S testimonial against Olympiacos tomorrow will be treated as a proper first-team friendly – but there will be a couple of late cameos from Liverpool legends.

The skipper wants to ensure the Reds use their only Anfield warm-up game of the summer to fine-tune preparations for the new Premier League campaign.

“There will be one or two little surprises but it’s not going to be a usual testimonial where you invite all your old team-mates back, it is a slow tempo game and there are substitutions all through the game. It’s not like that,” Gerrard said.

“The deal I made with the manager was he is in charge and picks the team and it will be used as a pre-season friendly. The timing of it is very important.

“There are only two weeks to the start of the season.

“It is basically down to Brendan Rodgers.

“There are one or two nice touches for the crowd towards the end of the game but I think we should keep that as a surprise.”

Look back on our Gerrard series:

Part one - Gerrard's early years

Part two - Gerrard the player

Part three - Gerrard the leader

Part four - Gerrard the man