Milner: Stevie thrives under big-pressure situations
STEVEN Gerrard is facing a week that even the most experienced, never mind novice, manager would find daunting and demanding.
First up is the second leg of a Europa League play-off against Ufa over 2,000 miles away in Russia on Thursday. The Ibrox club will be doing well to protect their slender one goal lead and join some big names in continental football in the group stages.
That difficult away trip will be followed by his first Old Firm game against Celtic at Parkhead less than three days later. With his former manager Brendan Rodgers in the home dugout it is set to be a fascinating encounter.
The back-to-back outings will provide the sternest test of the Liverpool legend’s brief managerial career to date.
James Milner has no doubts his former England team mate will be completely unaffected by the pressure he is under and believes he will draw on the experience he gained playing for both club and country in the coming days.
In fact, the Liverpool midfielder, who arrived at Anfield just after Gerrard departed in 2015, feels his compatriot would struggle to perform to the best of his abilities without such intense demands on him to succeed and predicted the high-profile role will bring out the best in him.
“Stevie is obviously a big name and a successful player,” said Milner. “It is early days in his managerial career, but if he is half as good a manager as he was a player he will do very well.
“Rangers is a good test, a good job to go into. When you have been successful at everything he has tried in his playing career like he has, he won’t think about failing, about the other side of it. All the top players are like that.
“He will have 100 per cent confidence in his ability to go there and do a good job. That is why he has been so successful in his playing career. Obviously, his ability and the experience he has gained in his playing career will stand him in good stead as a manager.
“It is a completely different thing, but he has played under plenty of good managers and has played in different styles for both club and country. I am sure he has taken the best and worst bits from each manager he played under, will know what he wants to do and will put it into one.
“There is no experience like being an actual manager and taking the challenge on. I have no experience of being a manager, but I have played under a number of different managers and seen how they work. I think you learn from other people’s mistakes and know what you would do yourself.
“You learn from how people do things well and what works and put it into practice. That is what he has got going for him with the level he has played at.”
Milner added: “You can look at it both ways. It is tough, it is high-profile, it is big pressure. But that is normal for him. It would be harder for him if there wasn’t the spotlight on him and a stadium of fans demanding success. It is probably something that drives him on.
“He needs that to be at 100 per cent. If you’re used to that it isn’t a big thing. The confidence he has in his ability and the success he has had throughout his career will help him.”