If Stevie gets result today, he won’t try to take credit away from Jurgen
I’M sure Steven Gerrard has been pestered all week by calls from his friends, his Dad, his brother, all reminding him he has to beat Manchester City today. That’s OK, Stevie is a big boy. He’s never been one to hide or turn his phone off, he’ll take it on the chin and of course he’ll understand it being a big Red himself, but it won’t make him lose focus or deviate from the game plan he’s set out for the Etihad.
He’ll know better than anyone what today means for Liverpool as a city and its supporters. I am sure he’d prefer to be playing City so he can do his old club a favour rather than having Villa go to Anfield.
As a manager, Stevie has been good at detaching himself from emotional stuff that he can’t control. So he might have had a joke or two with his pals from Merseyside but closer to match day, his energy will be on making sure his team is set out at right because you’ve got to be cute and clever against City.
If there is a hope for Liverpool fans, it is that Villa gave Pep Guardiola’s team a really good game at Villa Park and were probably unlucky to lose 2-1. Liverpool fans sing Stevie’s name before most games anyway, I heard it at Wembley when I watched the Carabao Cup final, but it’ll be sung with extra gusto at Anfield at half-past-three today.
One day, Stevie could be the Liverpool manager but if he helps Jurgen Klopp win a Quadruple, following the German at Anfield will be like an impossible job because you can’t get better than winning all four trophies! Though Stevie will be delighted if he can pull off a result at City and Liverpool reclaim the title, he won’t be patting himself on the back nor trying to take credit away from Klopp — this will be Klopp’s achievement.
Nor do I think it will increase or reduce his chances of one day taking over at Anfield.
Klopp will be there for some time and when it is time to find a replacement, the owners will choose the next candidate on their body of work over a period of time, not 90 minutes.