The manager of Rangers, Steven Gerrard has revealed that the manager of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp advised him to be “balanced” as much as he could before he became a coach. The 40-year-old English tactician said he now understands what Klopp meant over two years after he had the conversation with the German tactician.
Steven Gerrard played under coach Jurgen Klopp a few months after the German coach became the coach of Liverpool in 2015 before he left at the end of the 2014-2015 season for Major League Soccer club, LA Galaxy.
When he retired from professional football in 2016, Steven Gerrard venture into coaching. He first had a full shot at coaching when he was appointed the coach of the Liverpool youth team in January 2017.
He spent over a year in that role before he was appointed the coach of the Scottish Premiership side, Rangers. His appointment was confirmed on May 4, 2018, and started functioning in that role on June 1 that same year.
Within the first two seasons in his four years contract with the club, Steven Gerrard battled with Celtic for the Premiership title but failed. His turn came in the 2020-2021 season to win the title for Rangers and he did it in a ground style.
Steven Gerrard and his boys are scheduled to lift the Premiership title on May 12, 2021, when they play their last league game of the season against Livingston at 18:00.
In an interview with Sky Sports eight days before the game, Steven Gerrard recounted his conversation with Jurgen Klopp and admitted how coaching has been an incredible feeling for him.
He said: “I remember having a conversation with Jurgen about management before I even took this role – ‘what are some of the key things you can tell me? What can I take from you that will help me moving forward?’
“He always said to try and be as balanced as you can. Now I know exactly why he said that.
“Because this journey takes you all over the place – incredible feelings, but it has also taken me down as well.”
💙"I can't believe it is three years already! This club has really blown me away in terms of size & stature."
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 4, 2021
Three years on from being named @RangersFC boss, Steven Gerrard exclusively reflects on life at Ibrox, the advice from #LFC boss Jurgen Klopp & what the future holds👇 pic.twitter.com/IzDSQhtRXq
On the achievement of Rangers this season, Steven Gerrard said: “I’ll be immensely proud of what we achieved, I’ll reset myself and do whatever I need to do in the background to try and make this group as strong and competitive as I can.
“I’m as ambitious as anyone connected to this club. I want to try and get this club Champions League football and to defend our title with our life, and I want to put the cup thing right as it doesn’t sit well with me.
“I want to come back in pre-season with a fair chance of being successful, that’s all I ask for. Hopefully, the board will support me on that and we go again.”
