Steven Gerrard will be pleased to see Arne Slot begin his Liverpool reign well, but has admitted he wished Jurgen Klopp could have remained a few more years
Steven Gerrard made it clear he hoped Jurgen Klopp would stay longer in the Liverpool job than he did before Arne Slot took over.
After nine years in charge, Klopp stepped down this summer seeking pastures new, leaving behind a legacy and some hefty boots to fill. Reds fans must have been counting their blessings then when new boss Slot was brought in as a replacement, starting the season perfectly – but for a blip against Nottingham Forest.
However, in 2021, club legend Gerrard made his opinions on Klopp departing Anfield known and shut down any rumours of himself being the man to succeed the German.
Despite the way in which Slot has begun his tenure on Merseyside, Gerrard believed that everyone involved with the club would have wished for a few more years of Klopp’s leadership.
Gerrard sat down with ITV in 2021 while impressing as manager of Rangers and was asked: “There are a lot of Liverpool fans watching your success…”
The 44-year-old cut off the question, however, and stated: “The Liverpool fans don’t want me to be the manager of Liverpool Football Club. They want Jurgen Klopp to continue to be the Liverpool manager – and I’m totally with all of them.
“We shouldn’t talk about this, we have one of the best managers leading our club at the minute, I love him. I hope he stays for a few more years. But I’ve got a job here. I don’t think it’s helpful to talk about this and I hope Jurgen stays at Liverpool for many years.”
Gerrard’s job in Scotland would be left behind later that year as he made the ambitious switch to Aston Villa, making a return to the Premier League.
His tenure at Villa Park was over before it began, however, and he was let go less than a year after taking charge – have won just two of his opening 13 league games of the 2022/23 season.
The following year, Gerrard found another opening, this time with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq, where he now remains and is reportedly contracted until 2027.
The man who has taken over from the departed Klopp, Slot, has a similar level of respect for the German to Gerrard and insists that he is paving his own path at Anfield – one that has been highly successful to this point.
“You can look at it both ways,” he said when asked about filling the void left by Klopp. “They are big shoes to fill but you are also inheriting a squad and a team which has a winning culture.
“As a manager, you want to work at a club with good players and an opportunity to win something. The past has shown there is a possibility to win some trophies. I look at it as ideal.
“People look at us and think we only think about the tactics board but you have to think about the way you talk to the players. It is not about convincing them, it is part of the job to think about the best way to get the best out of them; whether to approach them as an individual or as a team.
“I don’t have Jurgen Klopp in mind, thinking ‘what would he say’. No. I have to get to know the players to get the maximum out of them.”
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