This should have been the moment Steven Gerrard stepped forward to fulfill his destiny. From the moment he hung up his boots, everything seemed to indicate that Gerrard would one day become Liverpool manager.
When Gerrard moved from Rangers to Aston Villa, Jürgen Klopp predicted he would follow him at Anfield. But with Klopp announcing he will leave at the end of the season, few expect Gerrard to replace him.
When he joined Villa, Gerrard had to fend off suggestions that he was treating the club as a stepping stone on the route to Liverpool. He won’t have to deal with too many of them at Al-Ettifaq, who are eighth in the Saudi Pro League and eight without a win.
It had all started so positively for Gerrard. Arriving at Villa Park after leading Rangers to the Scottish title last season, Gerrard has recorded four wins from his first six league games. He would taste victory in just nine of the next 33 and was fired on October 20, 2022, without even completing a full year on the job.
In those eleven months, Gerrard turned himself from favorite to succeed Klopp into an outsider. His chances of ever being in charge at Anfield look slim, unless Liverpool decline so rapidly in the coming years that they need a legend in the dugout to unite the supporters.
Steven Gerrard was once favorite to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool before failing at Aston Villa
Klopp (right) even once suggested the Liverpool legend could be his successor at Anfield
Gerrard is now unlikely to ever become Liverpool manager unless the club declines so rapidly in the coming years that they need a legend in the dugout to unite the supporters.
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Villa owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens backed him in the market, but the decision to sign his former Liverpool teammate Philippe Coutinho permanently, even though he was clearly a fading force, will forever haunt his time in the West Midlands.
If the Coutinho deal had been Gerrard’s only misstep, it would have been forgiven. Instead, it was the symbol of a government that never seemed to have a clear idea of where it wanted to go or how to get there.
One of the best midfielders of his generation, Gerrard operated more as a traditional ‘manager’ figure than as a head coach. Much of the work on the training ground was carried out by his team of lieutenants, led first by Michael Beale – now at Sunderland – and then by Beale’s replacement Neil Critchley. The modern player expects more from a leader than that, and Unai Emery’s 24/7 approach puts Gerrard’s in an unfavorable light.
The majority of the squad respected Gerrard and wanted to do well for him, but following Beale’s departure to Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 2022, certain players felt the standard of training dropped a little. ‘One insider cited a lack of ‘depth’ in training after Beale left and the safety-first style of play became a drag for many.
Some were also unsettled by Gerrard’s handling of Tyrone Mings, a powerful character with allies in the dressing room. Just a week before the 2022-23 season started, Mings was stripped of the captaincy, dropped out for the opening match at Bournemouth, drew public criticism from Gerrard and then returned to the starting line-up for the next match at home to Everton.
Some of Gerrard’s decisions at Villa have been questioned, such as signing Philippe Coutinho (left) and stripping the captaincy of Tyrone Mings (right)
These decisions are up to the manager, but the timing and message could certainly have been better, even though Gerrard and Mings maintained a professional relationship. It is also thought that there were times in Gerrard’s first season when certain players would strip down after matches to the extent that they feared they would never be picked again – only to still be in the team for the next match. While there’s a lot to be said for keeping players on their toes, it’s rarely worth making them feel permanently insecure.
There were similar reports regarding Villa’s transfer dealings during the Gerrard era. What did he think he saw in the 2022 version of Coutinho that every other club had missed? Did he ever wonder why Villa were given a zero on a once great player?
For one target for the summer of 2022, a highly rated winger, the framework for the transfer was in place and Gerrard seemed enthusiastic. However, during a short Zoom meeting with the man in question, he became cold and said that Villa should forget about him. While no manager should have to deal with a player he doesn’t want, it felt like a turnaround based on emotion and instinct rather than analysis.
Another, a proven Premier League centre-back, was highly rated by Gerrard and thought he would sign for Villa but was suddenly left off the list. He joined another club and became a key figure.
Klopp’s announcement that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season means a new manager is needed, but it is unlikely to be Gerrard
Gerrard was fired by Aston Villa after less than a year and is now a manager in Saudi Arabia
The relationship between Gerrard and Johan Lange, who was sporting director, is not always experienced as harmonious. But while Gerrard is at Al-Ettifaq, Lange is now pushing for the Champions League at Tottenham. A sobering judgment for Gerrard’s many backers.
Gerrard’s dedication could never be faulted, and luck was often against him. Key signings Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos under him made just ten appearances before suffering significant injuries. Matty Cash and Jacob Ramsey improved under his leadership.
Gerrard never dodged difficult issues, never tried to avoid responsibility and never compared his own playing career to that of his team. One of the biggest names in English football was never ‘big time’ and behaved with dignity throughout.
But in the end, Gerrard was sunk by that deadly combination for managers: fed-up fans, boring football and poor results. Certainly not the qualifications to have Liverpool knocking on his door again in the coming weeks.