Gerrard out to be a life coach
STEVEN GERRARD was joking when he said he was thinking of introducing ‘50-50s’ into the coaching sessions for his Under-18s side to toughen them up.
But Liverpool’s newest coach is deadly serious when insisting he wants to bring some of the grit of the street back into what he sees as the increasingly pampered world of academy football.
Gerrard was yesterday confirmed as coach of the Liverpool U18s, starting next season – his first step into management which plenty hope might one day see him take the Anfield hot seat.
And having spent the last three months shadowing all the coaches at Kirkby and discussing his next move with Jurgen Klopp, he says he cannot wait to get stuck in – or more accurately, see his young charges do so.
“My teams will be physical and while it is important you channel it in the right way – as a player I got many tackles wrong and went over the top a few times – you have to prepare them for the top level,” he said.
“The top level is physical and demanding and it’s about trying to prepare them for the last 10 minutes of games when it’s hard and your legs are burning and your heart is burning and it’s not a nice place to be as a player. You have to get them mentally strong to be prepared for that.”
Gerrard, who turned down the chance to manage MK Dons in November last year, is nearing the completion of his UEFA A-licence coaching
qualification and describes the last three months at Kirkby – mentored by Steve Heighway and Alex Inglethorpe – as invaluable experience, spent absorbing and getting frank advice.
“I am still waiting for the first day to start in terms of being a No1 coach that leads a team, but I am really, really excited and looking forward to it starting,” he said.
“The 18s is a great age and a good idea to start
there. Jurgen, Alex and me all thought it was the best place to start. I don’t know why but I’ve just got a connection with that group.” Gerrard gave his first team talk ahead of the home fixture against Manchester City in March – they won 2-0 – and described it as a “buzz”.
Yet he has been keen for coaches to point out areas for improvement. That included learning about body language on the sidelines in coaching sessions, while he revealed that “Alex also talked to me about my coaching voice; he wants it to be the same as it was when I was captain.” Asked if there was a difference in the academy kids coming through these days, compared to his era, he is animated. “There is a showboating mentality through academies,” he said. “A lot of kids that play the games think they have to do 10 ‘lollipops’ or Cruyff turns to stand out. “We all love a bit of skill and talent, but the other side of the game is huge and my job will be to prepare these players for careers in the game. Not all of them will play for the first team, but if I can help them to compete in the other side of the game it will help their careers. I like to see street-wise footballers.
“The kids in our academy are coming into an unbelievable place to work, and full-time lads get a lot more money now than we got when we first started.
“There is a case where they get a little bit too much, too soon and they get into that comfort zone of working in a lovely place. It is a big shock for them when they have to move on or get released. I’ve seen a lot of players come out of the academy with huge reputations and go into the Melwood dressing room where it is sink or swim. A lot of them sink.
“So that is what you have to drive into the players; that while they are here don’t get too comfortable, because the hard work starts when you get out the academy.” Premier League