In a recent interview with Four Four Two (via the Liverpool Echo), Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp shed some light on the help and support he received from Sir Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard and said, “Kenny and Stevie have both been a really big support from day one.
“Second, my position as a manager has nothing to do with the people around me. If Liverpool were to sack me tomorrow, then maybe Kenny would be the first choice to replace me, but they would probably bring Stevie down from Glasgow.
“If you ask who should follow me, I’d say Stevie. I help him whenever I can.
“If someone gets your job, it’s not about them, it’s about you not being good enough.
“I’m old enough to know that I give this job everything. I’m not a genius, I’m not perfect, but I give the club 100 per cent. If that’s enough, great. If it’s not, then it’s just the problem of the situation.
“I’m not jealous, I’m not sceptical. I’m completely open. If you want my help, you’ll get it.
“My family often thinks that I’m too quick to open up, but I think being any other way is a waste of time. I love life, I love my job, I like most people – that’s how it is.”
Gerrard’s Impressive Spell As The Rangers Manager
Gerrard is currently managing Rangers in the Scottish Premiership and has done an impressive job at the Ibrox Stadium thus far. The Liverpool legend steered his side to a second-place finish in the Scottish top-flight last season. The Glaswegian giants have also made a strong start to this campaign having won five and lost one of their opening six matches in the top tier of Scotland.
However, Gerrard’s men are still three points behind their rivals Celtic even though Brendan Rodgers has left Celtic Park to join Leicester City earlier in this calendar year. Therefore, the jury is still out on whether the 39-year-old has what it takes to win the league title with Rangers in the future.
Gerrard’s Managerial Record At The Ibrox
The Whiston-born manager had previously worked as a youth coach at Melwood under Klopp’s stewardship before he took on his first big job in football management when he was named the manager of Rangers last summer. Gerrard has taken charge of 76 matches for the Ibrox outfit, winning 44, drawing 21 and losing 11 of those games with a healthy PPG (Points Per Game) average of 2.01 (stats via transfermarkt).
Will Gerrard Be A Good Choice To Succeed Klopp?
Even though Gerrard is still quite inexperienced as a football manager, he knows Liverpool from inside out and would not mind managing his boyhood club. Furthermore, the Gers boss has previously worked under Klopp’s tutelage at Merseyside, so he might have a clear idea about the German head coach’s philosophy and style of play. The former England international could turn out to be an ideal candidate to continue Klopp’s ‘gegen pressing’ and ‘heavy metal’ brand of football when the Liverpool boss decides to leave his post someday.
However, for now, Gerrard needs to get more managerial experience under his belt before he is ready to move on to a bigger club. On the other end, Klopp is currently at the peak of his powers and will try his best to inspire his players to win the Premier League title this season.
