Until it is time to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, the former star has two key tasks as a Rangers coach: to break Celtic's hegemony in Scotland and continue his success in the European arena • Tonight (22:00) Willem 2 awaits him in the Europa League qualifiers
Gerard.
The heart in Liverpool, the head in the Rangers
Photo:
Reuters
Nine consecutive championships are a joint record held by the big haters from Glasgow, Celtic and Rangers who did it first between 1989 and 1997.
Her arch-rival now holds that streak, and after a green decade, the Blues under coach Steven Gerrard, want to make a comeback that will prevent Celtic from setting a new record.
The two unquestionably dominate Scottish football (54 championships for Rangers, 51 for Celtic) and wage an instinctive struggle that is not only sporting but also political, social and religious (Protestants versus Catholics).
Since Rangers were relegated to the Fourth Division in 2012 due to an economic crash, they have been looking enviously at their rivals' gluttony.
Upon returning to the Premier League in the 16/17 season, the team from Ibrooks aspired to only one thing - to kick Celtic from the top.
In the summer of 2018, after two years of acclimatization and a sense that it had become a casual team, Rangers appointed Gerard as coach.
She put all her hopes on the shoulders of the Liverpool hero, and now, after two years in the job, eight rounds within the 20/21 season, he seems to have managed to form under him a talented and militant team, capable of interrupting Catholic hegemony in Glasgow.
The Blues' season opener is excellent.
Out of eight games they won six, over zero, and only in the last game did they absorb for the first time against Hibernian (2: 2).
In mid-October Rangers will meet Celtic for the first Old Firm of the season knowing that the four direct encounters between them during the season are the key to their first championship since 2011. The last of 19/20, by the way, was won by the way of the former Liverpool captain's team.
Concurrent with the league and the Scottish Cup, Gerard wants to pull the Rangers to another successful season in the Europa League, having been stopped in the last eight last season.
Tonight (22:00) they will host Dutchman Willem 2, hoping to advance to the qualifying playoffs.
Gerard and his actors. Open the season successfully // Photo: GettyImages
However, Gerard also has a personal mission, which no one hides.
The coach's heart and head are first and foremost in Liverpool.
Talk of his future as Jurgen Klopp's successor has long since begun, and the closing of this romantic circle will hover over his head like a halo until the German's imminent departure in the summer of 2024.
Just last week Gerard made it clear that he is not interested in answering questions about a non-Liverpool English team.
The Rangers are aware that they are hosting Gerard's internship until he returns to Anfield, but it's also clear to him - his continued path at Ibrox depends heavily on the Blues' 55th championship.