sport
World football
English League
A villa in the jungle?
Steven Gerrard's Challenge at Aston Villa
The man behind the impressive recruitment of the villa, the legacy Stevie G left in the Rangers, and the dream of succeeding Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Niv spoke about the legendary star's comeback to the Premier League, the difficulties of the coaches in the best league in the world, the renewed hopes and the question marks ahead of the premiere on Saturday (17:00, Sport1)
Tags
Steven Gerrard
Aston Villa
Niv Dovrat
Wednesday, November 17, 2021, 1 p.m.
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
0 comments
Summary: Aston Villa - West Ham 4: 1 (Sport 1)
The return of football legends to the main stage is usually accompanied by drama, unusual background and varied circumstances. So it was with the return of Steven Gerrard to the best league in the world through the front door. From the moment Aston manager Villa Dean Smith was sacked after five consecutive league losses a significant number of candidates were thrown into the air - some glittering, most of them experienced, but only one name really stood at the top of the club's Birmingham priority.
Gerard's signing at Villa for a short time and the effort to land him was focused and led by one man, the club's general manager, Christian Preslo, who knows Gerard personally from his time as Liverpool general manager.
In recent weeks a wave of dismissal of managers has swept the Premier League clubs and teams like Newcastle and Norwich have scrutinized Gerard's candidacy, but in the eyes of the Rangers' wanted coach the circumstances, and especially the uncertainty surrounding their professional future, were undesirable and tempting enough In order to abandon the successful project he has led at Ibrox since landing on the blue side of Glasgow.
More on Walla!
Steven Gerrard has been appointed coach of Aston Villa
To the full article
A different kind of job interview.
Steven Gerrard (Photo: GettyImages)
Presello knew how to make good use of his close relationship and personal touch with the Liverpool legend over the years, and as part of his attempt to persuade Rangers to have intense phone calls with Gerard's older brother, Paul, to gain family support for the move to England. Unlike Norwich, who lingered, explored, and groped only initially, Presello, with remarkable sophistication, knew how to ideally utilize his many years of acquaintance to stimulate Gerard to get to Villa Park in the midst of an international hiatus.
After the official reference to the Rangers who gave her blessing (of course in exchange for adequate compensation), Stevie G. boarded the train south for a series of meetings with Presello and representatives of the club owners, for a different kind of job interview: the real feeling was that on the contrary, To impress and bring the manager closer to a club from the West Midlands and not an attempt on Gerard's part to present himself to Villa as the most worthy candidate.
Leaving Rangers relatively early in the season, when he had nearly three more years left until the end of his contract, was an act in stark contrast to what Gerard had represented as a player, and especially as a man throughout his playing career.
He grew up at Liverpool Football Academy and despite countless attractive offers throughout his years as an active player to leave for more successful and wealthy teams, Liverpool is the only club he has played at, where he has become one of the greatest legends in the club's history.
Cleverly exploited the close connection.
Christian Preslo (Photo: GettyImages, Catherine Ivill)
Gerard, who previously defined Preslo as a personal member, received from the management the promise that the club would continue to make extensive use of the Jack Grillish sale funds in the summer to Manchester City, and was impressed by the team's vision as part of the 'Ten Years Plan' when the current owner - Wes The American Adens and the Egyptian Swiris were collected, in 2018. The fact that after his retirement he started his coaching career in the Liverpool youth team and directly assisted in the professional and personal development of the now senior team players like Curtis Jones and Nico Williams, contributed significantly to his shares on the part of Villa management.
The existing professional gaps between the Premier League and the Scottish Premier League are abysmal, but not only the fact that Gerrard led the Rangers to winning the first championship in a decade has raised its profile in the eyes of the club's owners, but the dominance with which it has done so: Rangers celebrated the championship 55 in the club's history at the expense of the hated rival, Celtic, in a magical season without losses in the league and is now in an impressive position in the Europa League where it is close to qualifying for the knockout stages for the third time in a row.
The upgrade that Gerard gradually created, the navigational abilities and professional leadership he demonstrated were not typical of an early-stage manager in an alumni group.
Unlike his former Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers, who left Celtic in mid-season for Leicester City but did so after winning seven local titles and Champions League participation, Gerard leaves the Rangers after winning just one local title out of nine possible, but a job The extensive rehabilitation he carried out at the club was no less significant than the actual additions of trophies and achievements.
Holds the position that Gerard really wants.
Jürgen Klopp (Photo: Reuters)
But what really drew Gerrard back to English football, to a club to which he has no emotional or professional connection, who admittedly invested impressive sums last summer but has struggled since the start of the current season to maintain some consistency? Twenty-five years have passed since Aston Villa won any local title, nearly four decades since the European Cup Winners' Cup was lifted and in the current reality test a championship is not a word at all defined in the Goal Park at Villa Park.
But despite returning to the Premier League three seasons ago a team coach is considered a coveted job at a club with an extensive and supportive fan base (Birmingham is the second largest city in the UK, and despite local rivalry in the derby against Birmingham City, the gaps between teams have always been, and will be, huge ). Villa Park may not be one of the newest stadiums in the kingdom but it is considered a true and enthusiastic fanatical Old School and above all - determined owners, ambitious, with a stable financial back (Villa is the fifth richest team in the Premier League) who have set an ambitious vision.
In the midst of his successful tenure at Rangers, Gerard has diverted any media attempt to link him to the role he truly desires, the coaching job at Liverpool, and at the heart of last season's turbulent season at Anfield in which the team faced an unimaginable number of injuries and consistently lost momentum. Rard did not hesitate to support the team manager, Jürgen Klopp.
"Liverpool fans do not want me to be the club's manager," he said at the time.
"They want to see Jürgen continue and I totally share their opinion. We now have one of the best managers in the world at the club, I love him and hope he stays at Anfield for a few more years. Is it my dream to coach Liverpool one day? Of course? Yes, but who promised that I would be good enough to meet the task? Who said that I would be the owner's choice? '', The man emphasized that during his time on the lawn he made no less than 710 appearances in the Mighty Reds uniform.
On the face of it, choosing Aston Villa feels like a wise choice for Gerard right now.
It is highly doubtful that had it not been for the legendary midfielder's rare playing career his candidacy for Villa would have been considered at all, but the professional leap between Rangers and Liverpool symbolizes an east-west distance and the professional experience he should gain at a club of this magnitude would help him take his coaching career to the next coveted step. 100 miles north of Villa Park to the Anfield Football Temple.
But until the reality in Liverpool changes and allows for a new opportunity, the surprise of the season, Brighton, awaits on Saturday (17:00, Sport1) the king of the 'Cup' in his first mission on the lines in the West Midlands: overcoming the exciting team of Graham Potter, a team with Premier League history Although few compared to Gerard's new team, on the other hand a balanced club that at this stage of the season looks at Villa from above with a gap of no less than nine places in the table.
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
0 comments
