Gerrard has been around the block & knows the hard work starts now
Gers boss says they’ll enjoy the view – but must stay on top of pressure
RANGERS have had two weeks to admire the view after climbing to the Premiership summit but Steven Gerrard reckons the hard work has only just started if they want to stay there.
The international break gave the Ibrox gaffer time to reflect on the first few months of the campaign and he liked most of what he saw.
Not all though. The defeat by Celtic in Govan was the only blot on the copy book but Gerrard’s in constant pursuit of improvement and is convinced the task at hand is only going to get tougher.
It’s all about blocks for Gerrard. There is the week-to-week business but he looks at the season in bite-size chunks.
Gers sunk their teeth into the first course but he knows there will be a lot to chew on in the coming weeks with seven matches on the spin before the next break for international duty in November.
Hearts at Tynecastle kicks it off but there’s a midweek date at Ross County, a Euro double-header with Porto and a Betfred Cup semi-final against the Jambos in this next spell and Gerrard is determined to be sitting pretty when the time comes.
But the Rangers manager said: “We are under no illusions how tough it will be to stay there. We have to embrace the pressure but it’s always nice to sit top. We certainly deserve to be there.
“We look at the season block by block and this is the next block we’ll present to the players. We had the debrief on the last one. We did well but there are little things we need to improve on.
“We’ll say to the players what is in front of them and we need to be in as positive a position as we are now by the middle of November.
“There are a lot of tough away games, a huge semi-final, and two big Europa League matches. We need to embrace it and enjoy it.
“This is where we want to be. These guys are so lucky to have big fixtures to look forward to. I wish I was a player preparing for this block of fixtures, that’s for sure.”
Gerrard has relished the look of the table for a fortnight but is well aware of pitfalls to come.
He said: “We are top and I don’t want to play it down. We’re happy to be there and need to enjoy being there. But we’re in October, there’s tons of football to play.
“We know the teams below aren’t going to go away, we’re there to be shot at and there will be many more twists and turns.
“It’s important to be respectful and humble and realise we’re going to have to work even harder to stay there.”
Tynecastle should be a challenge but Ross County, Hamilton, Motherwell and Kilmarnock have all gone to Gorgie and collected points. Gerrard though refuses to be fooled by the form book.
He said: “It’s always a tough game. The two times I’ve been before, it’s always a test. The fans are right on top of you, the energy and atmosphere mean you never feel you’re out of pressure.
“It’s a small, tight pitch and Hearts never go away. The two times we’ve been
there we’ve played ever so well but they’ve fought right till the end. They don’t let you breathe.
“So we’re expecting another tough game. They’ve turned their corner in terms of getting a big win against Hibs, which was needed from their point of view and which has given them a bit of confidence and belief. “I’m sure they’ll try to build on that with a result against us so we have to be ready for the challenge. “I don’t think the challenge is how it looks on paper in terms of where the teams are in the league. It will be a lot tougher than that.” Gerrard is looking for his side to pick up where they left off – including September’s Player of the Month Alfredo Morelos.
The Colombian has rattled 14 goals in 19 games and his manager is loving the striker’s new-found cool head to go with his hot streak.
Gerrard said: “He deserves it. He’s been hot in front of goal, scoring heavily. He and Jermain Defoe have been in sensational form.
“It’s not a surprise he has been rewarded. It’s fantastic for him. Alfredo has evolved under us as a staff and with this group of players. He’s listening and taking tactical information on board more.
“At times when we first came in we saw a player who played for himself. He has been much more thoughtful about the team and his responsibilities.
“We’ve seen a maturity on and off the pitch and it has been reflected in his performances.”
It’s not just Morelos who has screwed the nut though and Gerrard believes the penny has dropped for his squad after last season’s blizzard of reds.
He added: “We lost control too many times. It wasn’t acceptable. It was my responsibility to address it and improve that as a group.
“That’s what we strived to do and the players are buying into it. There will be times yellow cards happen and someone will make a mistake along the way. But we needed to show a vast improvement.”