Does Rangers’ Rise Fuel Gerrard’s Ambition?
The Full Scottish with Brian P. Dunleavy – Follow Brian on Twitter – As Liverpool’s “struggles” continue, multiple reports are suggesting that current Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is in line to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield. Gerrard, obviously, has links with the Reds, having captained the side as a player. He is also a life-long […]
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As Liverpool’s “struggles” continue, multiple reports are suggesting that current Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is in line to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.
Gerrard, obviously, has links with the Reds, having captained the side as a player. He is also a life-long supporter.
However, talk of replacing Klopp seems premature, even as the German’s team has lost four matches in a row at home. It was only last season that he secured Liverpool’s first top-flight title in 30 years, and two years since he led the club to Champions’ League glory.
It also seems a bit early to crown Gerrard an elite bench boss. This is not a comment meant to diminish what he has accomplished at Ibrox this season, but rather to put what he has done into context.
Yes, Rangers will win the Premiership for the first time in 10 years. And yes, they have played spectacular football.
But would we even be talking about Gerrard had Celtic not imploded in 2020-21—on and off the park? Remember: Under the former Liverpool midfielder’s leadership the past two seasons ’Gers didn’t even push Celtic in the Prem. He also failed to win either of the other two domestic trophies on offer, the League and Scottish Cups.
In the former competition, Gerrard’s side lost in spectacular fashion to their bitter rivals in the 2019 final. In 2020, they bowed out early in the competition to St. Mirren. The Paisley club aren’t exactly Chelsea.
To be clear, Rangers are a big club and managing at Ibrox is a big job, with its own unique set of pressures. Gerrard’s time in Govan will serve him well if and when he decides to take the next step in his managerial career.
But Ibrox to Anfield seems like a big step for a third-year manager. There’s a big difference between preparing for Hamilton Accies and Aberdeen—no disrespect to either intended—than lining up tactics to take on Manchester City and Tottenham, even if being expected to win week in and week out, as managers at Celtic and Rangers are, comes with its own stressors.
The man he’d theoretically be replacing, Klopp, started his career in management at Mainz 05 immediately after retiring as a player, but he put in nine years there before moving to Borussia Dortmund—itself a massive club.
By that time, he had cultivated a reputation as a tactical genius and as a magnificent “man-manager.”
In his third season in charge at Rangers, Gerrard has his side playing expansive, attractive football. His reputation as a player for club and country carries its own weight with today’s players, for sure.
But would it be enough to hold sway at Liverpool? Would returning to the club at which he is already a legend be the best move? (He could ask his Celtic counterpart Neil Lennon about what it’s like to “go home” again.)
It’s likely that the reports of Gerrard’s possible move to Liverpool are greatly exaggerated. But if they’re not, it will be interesting to see if his time at Rangers truly has him, in a word, “ready.”
