Sports

Steven Gerrard told to Distance self from Liverpool

Published

1 year ago

March 28, 2023

Steven Gerrard told to Distance self from Liverpool

If Steven Gerrard is known for one thing aside his long range goal strikes, it’s putting on the Red jersey and representing Liverpool, with many seeing the legend as the face of the Merseyside club. However, a call has been made by a television personality, calling on Steven Gerrard to distance self from Liverpool.

Former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys has suggested that Steven Gerrard should distance himself from his affiliation with Liverpool if he hopes to have a successful career in management. The Liverpool legend recently played for the Liverpool Legends team in their charity fundraiser match against a Celtic XI at Anfield, marking his first appearance at the stadium since his sacking as Aston Villa manager in October 2022.

In his blog post, Keys stated that Gerrard’s association with Liverpool may have been one of the reasons why he struggled to succeed at Aston Villa, where fans saw him as the former Liverpool captain rather than the manager of their team. Keys advised Gerrard to avoid such appearances and distance himself from Liverpool for a few more years if he still wants to pursue his ambitions in coaching or management.

Steven Gerrard told to Distance self from Liverpool

Keys also criticized Gerrard for taunting Celtic fans after scoring in the charity match, stating that the fans had paid their money to charity and had the right to get involved in the occasion. However, Gerrard had recently been linked with several managerial vacancies across Europe, including at Trabzonspor, Paris Saint-Germain, and the Polish national team.

Gerrard, who started his coaching career at Liverpool’s academy shortly after retiring from professional football in 2016, has been out of management for almost six months and has recently joined Channel 4 as part of their coverage of England’s 2024 European Championship qualifying campaign. Speaking after the charity match, Gerrard expressed his love for football, the game, and Liverpool, stating that he would never tire of it.

“If Gerrard still has ambitions to manage or coach in the Premier League I really think he should be swerving the legends games – the likes of which we saw at Anfield last weekend,” wrote the former Sky Sports presenter in his latest blog post.

“Gerrard needs to distance himself from Liverpool for a few years more yet. One of his biggest problems at Villa was that their fans largely saw him as Liverpool’s captain. It was ok to start with – Gerrard said all the right things, but as time progressed and things weren’t going so well, it was an easy stick to beat him with – even though he’d had those two years at Rangers as well.

“Perhaps he’s given up believing that he’s got a coaching career, but if he hasn’t, I firmly believe he’s definitely got to give those games up. Either way – he shouldn’t be taunting Celtic fans as he did after scoring.”

Keys added: “I know it’s hard and I know they’d been on at him all through the game – but he’s a big boy and he knows it’s all part of the gig. Those fans had paid their money to charity (the players always get paid btw) and so they had a right to get involved in the occasion.”