Steven Gerrard must learn from former England team-mate as he ponders next move
Steven Gerrard must learn from former England team-mate as he ponders next move
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As Steven Gerrard reflects on the end of his time in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq, the question is what is next for the Liverpool star?. It would be easy for Gerrard to sit back, count his millions and do some punditry like so many of his former team-mates. But Gerrard is incredibly driven and he is not the sort of guy to sit back and bask in the glow of being a Liverpool and England legend. He is 44 and he will want to get back out there and prove he can still be a success as a manager following his chequered career to date. Gerrard did the smart thing and learned the ropes with Liverpool’s Under-18s when he began his coaching career in 2017.
He knew he would make mistakes and did not want them to happen in the full glare of the media. Having cut his managerial teeth, he jumped into the bearpit of Glasgow football in April 2018 when he became Rangers boss. He was a huge success and Rangers were unbeaten as they romped to the Scottish title in 2021 - their only league triumph in 13 years. But it started to go wrong when he left to become Aston Villa manager in November 2021.
Villa nosedived at the start of the 2022-23 season and he was sacked in October 2022, having won just three of his first 12 games. It didn’t help that his successor Unai Emery has been a magician. Emery led Villa into Europe in 2023, the Champions League in 2024 and they have just qualified automatically for the last 16 of the Champions League. Gerrard headed off to Saudi in July 2023 when he took over at Al-Ettifaq and guided them to sixth last season. But this season they have stagnated and he leaves with them in 12th place.
Frank Lampard is a good indicator of what Gerrard can do next and the Championship looks his best hope. Like Gerrard, Lampard had his time in the top flight with Chelsea and Everton before Coventry came calling and that is the level he must also accept. The Premier League has become a closed shop for English managers and Eddie Howe is the only home-grown coach left following the sackings of Sean Dyche, Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin. Increasingly, clubs are foreign owned and look abroad for coaches, such as Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth, Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace and Fabian Hurzeler at Brighton. It’s hard to argue with their logic and most are successful.
It doesn’t help that Gerrard’s stock has plummeted since Villa and the guy who was seen as Jurgen Klopp’s natural successor for so long, wasn’t even part of that conversation last year. Instead Liverpool went for Arne Slot and the Dutchman has been a revelation at Anfield. While debates continue over which is the best league, there is no doubt that the Premier League is where all the world’s top bosses want to work. This all makes it virtually impossible for Gerrard to land a Premier League job now and his best hope is to win promotion with a Championship side.
That can be fraught as Wayne Rooney’s experience at Plymouth shows and Gerrard would need a Leeds or Sheffield United, but neither is in a rush to change manager. Gerrard will need to pick his next club carefully if he is to succeed. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
