Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers insists Steven Gerrard's form has been good enough this season.
Gerrard will bring the curtain down on his 17-year Anfield career at the end of the season, with the former England captain set for a move to Major League Soccer in America.
Rodgers said Gerrard had been in "turmoil" over his decision but he supported the former England captain's lifestyle change.
And he also rejected claims the disappointment of last season's Premier League title near-miss combined with a difficult start to the current campaign had made it a poor 2014 for the 34-year-old.
"It is worth pointing out in 2014 we nearly won the league because of Steven Gerrard," he said.
"Everyone references the slip in the Chelsea game but we had 38 games to win the league and we just came up short.
"Steven Gerrard captained this team on an incredible run and a big part of why we were challenging was because of him.
"His performances were monumental for us in the second half of last season and his influence on the team on the field gave us the opportunity to win the league.
"This opening period (of this season) is not what we would have wanted but that will not have changed his mind as he's had highs and lows in his career.
"Come the end of the season he will be 35, he has given it a chance to look at his footballing life and has felt the best decision is to move away from Liverpool."