ALWAYS A PLEASURE
‘I’M DELIGHTED HE’S FINALLY GOT THE REWARD FOR ALL THE GOALS HE’S SCORED AND GOOD PERFORMANCES’ Gerrard admits highs and lows but says Morelos is a joy to work with
DEALING with Alfredo Morelos has brought both highs and lows for Steven Gerrard. With silverware secured and a smile back on his face, those tricky times have arguably been worth it. The Rangers boss, however, disagrees with the striker’s view that ‘difficulties’ once existed between the pair. Challenges? Yes, there have been many. But at no point did the Englishman stress over the decisions he was forced to make.
Laying down the same rules for all players was a simple task as Gerrard guided his squad to the Scottish Premiership title. Standards had to be set.
Morelos has reached new territory as an Ibrox star. The 24-year-old is now a league winner and has finally ended his goal drought in Old Firm derbies. Gerrard believes this is the happiest he has seen the player since he became manager in 2018.
Clearly, it hasn’t always been plain sailing. A questionable disciplinary record and an inability to remove himself from unnecessary confrontations on the pitch has overshadowed the Colombian since his arrival in 2017.
Even in this title-winning campaign, the striker has still found himself in hot water, having been punished twice retrospectively for on-field flashpoints.
But with 16 goals — including the equaliser at Celtic Park last month — he has shown he can deliver as a Rangers player.
Morelos spoke to media in his homeland this week as he described how he believes his relationship with Gerrard was not always perfect. The ex-Liverpool captain recognises there have been incidents but remains delighted to work with him.
‘The person who deserves the credit for transforming himself is Alfredo, not me,’ said Gerrard ahead of today’s Premiership clash against Hibernian at Ibrox.
‘He did an interview recently talking about the difficulties we’ve had — I’m not aware of them, because it’s not been a difficulty for me. I’ve said he’s been a challenge because he hasn’t always been perfect, but he’s been an absolute pleasure to work with. He’s smiling and it’s probably the happiest I’ve seen him over the course of the three years.
‘We want Alfredo to stay fit and healthy, and help us finish the season as strongly as we can. I’m delighted for him that finally he’s got a reward for all the goals he’s scored and the top performances he’s put in. He’s very proud to be a champion and a league winner here, and hopefully it’s given him the hunger to go and achieve many more things with the team.
‘It’s not just about Alfredo. It’s about the team. They have been magnificent this year.’
Gerrard insists his rules have been necessary to help the club win their first title in 10 years. ‘Listen, the relationship is fantastic,’ continued the Rangers manager. ‘I get on with Alfredo extremely well.
‘I suppose some of the things I have imposed on him, in terms of fines, suspensions and certain things I have made him do to get him in better physical shape, have been quite difficult for him but they haven’t been for me.
‘I treat all the players the same. There’s a standard that every player has to abide by. If you don’t abide by it, you’re probably not going to like what’s coming your way.
‘I can understand with the interview where he’s coming from but, in terms of the relationship, I’ve never had a difficult day because I’ve loved every minute of working with him. I still do and I hope he stays around for a long time. He’s happy at the moment, he’s smiling and he’s fit and available.’
The positivity of glory on the pitch has been marred by racist abuse, which continues to poison football. Morelos, too, has been a victim.
On the back of bile directed at players including the Colombian and Glen Kamara — the target of alleged racism from Slavia Prague’s Ondrej Kudela in last month’s Europa League tie — Rangers players and staff are temporarily boycotting social-media channels.
‘We support all the players in the best way we can,’ stated Gerrard. ‘We’re there for all of them. We have suffered as a club in terms of the individuals. Alfredo has suffered for some time, which is not fair. It’s not right. We want to be there and be the biggest support we can be. It has got to stop.
‘It’s really frustrating at the moment that the people in powerful positions are not doing all they can. We, as a club, are.
‘We’re doing everything we can. We are giving it a lot of time and attention now to try and help.
‘We’re being the best support we can for our players but it’s really frustrating that the people who can make a bigger difference, and the main difference, are not really listening at the moment.’
On the pitch, Rangers will attempt to maintain their unbeaten run in the league as they host Hibs in their first post-split fixture. Next week’s Scottish Cup fourth-round tie against Celtic at Ibrox will naturally be a distraction to a certain extent.
But Gerrard has a warning to his players that they could pay the price if they allow themselves to divert their attention to the derby clash.
‘The players are well aware of what’s at stake this week but one thing they have been fantastic at this season is to remain focused, treat each game as it comes and stay in the now,’ he said. ‘I don’t expect that to change.
‘I think players have to play for their place in the cup game. The last thing they want to do is put in a poor or complacent individual performance for the team. If you do that, your place in the team could be in jeopardy when I come to pick a side for the cup game.
‘This game in front of us against Hibs is very important. We still have a lot of targets that individually and collectively we want to achieve in the league from now until May 15.
‘Team selection goes off what happens in training and what happens in the next game.
‘If people lose their focus against Hibs and don’t do themselves justice, they could leave themselves vulnerable to losing out on team selection (for the Celtic game).’
Gerrard added: ‘We’re really looking forward to lifting the (Premiership) trophy come the end of the season, but there are still challenges from a league point of view that we want to continue.
‘There’s staying unbeaten, clean- sheet records, and players individually are competing for player of the year.’