There have been times in the past five years, particularly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when turning on the TV pushed Steven Gerrard to the limit. Liverpool’s captain is a football fanatic who never misses a chance to sit down at home and watch a game. But, at various points since December 9, 2009 — the date his club relinquished a place among Europe’s elite — Gerrard has found viewing the Champions League almost intolerable. ‘When you aren’t involved, there is a big jealousy,’ Gerrard admits. ‘I was jealous of the teams and players who were involved when Liverpool had nothing to do it with it. But that’s a good thing, isn’t it? It’s the best competition to play in at club level. There’s a hole there when you are out of it.’
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Liverpool's last Champions League game was in December 2009
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Liverpool face Bulgarians Ludogorets on Tuesday night
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Captain Steven Gerrard says: 'If we go out in the group stages, or the last 16, we will be majorly, majorly disappointed'
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Gerrard says of Mario Balotelli: 'If people want to call him crazy
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Ten seasons since Gerrard captained Liverpool to Champions League glory
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