According to comments made on Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast, Steven Gerrard is having difficulties in his managerial role at Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia.
If he were to be fired, there would be little chance that he would be hired by the Premier League right away. The league standings have declined despite Al-Ettifaq’s massive summer spending binge. This is due to the team’s recent eight-game winless streak.
Critics speculate that if Gerrard’s current stint doesn’t work out, there may not be much interest in the Saudi Pro League and he may not have many options to return to the Premier League.
Ian Ladyman expressed doubt about the direction of Steven Gerrard’s experiment
Ian Ladyman expressed doubt about the direction of Steven Gerrard’s experiment in Saudi Arabia and emphasized recent demands for more player funds, raising concerns about the manager’s future if things don’t work out at Al-Ettifaq.
Ladyman highlighted differing views on Gerrard’s success at Rangers and speculated about where the player might go in his career if he doesn’t live up to expectations. Chris Sutton continued by saying that although Gerrard might not immediately land a top managerial position, his profile might help him land another football job.
“He won’t be taken immediately by any team in the Premier League’s top eight,” Ladyman underlined, underscoring the difficulty Gerrard may encounter in landing a prominent managerial role.
Sutton agreed, saying he thought Gerrard’s reputation might help him land a new football position, but his managerial accomplishments would probably have less of an impact on where he ends up working. Sutton refuted the idea that Gerrard has a lot of credit from his time at Rangers, saying that his managerial achievements won’t automatically land him a position.
Sutton acknowledged that he wasn’t paying much attention to the league
Even with a lot of summer spending, Gerrard’s team isn’t playing up to last season’s level right now. Ladyman questioned whether the significant investment and signing of Premier League players had drawn much notice, given the Saudi Pro League’s low profile, particularly in Europe. Sutton acknowledged that he wasn’t paying much attention to the league, underscoring his lack of enthusiasm. In comparison to elite leagues like the Premier League, Ladyman wondered if players like Jordan Henderson were starting to doubt the worth of playing in the league and if the financial benefits outweighed the lack of recognition and competitive football.
Episodes of the Mail Sport-hosted “It’s All Kicking Off” podcast, which airs every Monday and Thursday during the Premier League season, provide a distinctive viewpoint on the sport. You can listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, MailOnline, and Mail+.
Sutton stressed that Jordan Henderson would probably prefer to be at Liverpool, especially after seeing their title fight, in regards to his summer transfer to Al-Ettifaq. Henderson has a weekly salary of £700,000 and a transfer fee of £12 million.
While acknowledging the attraction of money, Sutton recommended that Henderson aspire to return to the Premier League because of the thrilling competition and atmosphere there. Ladyman also mentioned Al-Ettifaq’s upcoming six-week winter break, which runs from December 30 to February 15. This sparked jokes about players traveling to warmer climates. But Ladyman also questioned whether the pause would cause players to reevaluate their careers and make decisions.
More about Steven Gerrard
Currently serving as manager of Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, Steven Gerrard was once a professional football player. Gerrard, who is regarded as one of Liverpool’s all-time greats, captained both the England national team and Liverpool while playing as a central midfielder.
Merseyside-born Gerrard represented Liverpool in football from 1998 to 2015, winning nine trophies, including three League Cups, two FA Cups, and the UEFA Champions League.
In the 2005 UEFA Champions League final, he was named Man of the Match after helping Liverpool overturn a 3-0 deficit against AC Milan to win. In spite of his achievements in cup competitions, Gerrard was never the Premier League champion.
He captained the team 38 times and scored 21 goals during his 114 caps for England during his international career, which spanned from 2000 to 2014. Gerrard competed in three FIFA World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014) and three UEFA European Championships (2000, 2004, 2012). In 2012, he was named to the Team of the Tournament.
