Jamie Carragher has revealed that he spoke to Steven Gerrard earlier in the week and the former Liverpool captain “knew what was coming”.
The 42-year-old was relieved of his duties as Aston Villa boss on Thursday night, shortly after seeing his team go down 3-0 to Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Throughout the game and then to the final whistle as our former No. 8 headed towards the tunnel, traveling Villa supporters could be heard chanting ‘out of our club’ to Gerrard in what would turn out to be his last game. in charge.
“I spoke to Steven Gerrard on Monday and he was realistic about his chances of remaining manager of Aston Villa,” Carragher said in his column for The Telegraph.
“At most he hoped to have two games to save himself. The performance against Fulham, and the reaction of Villa’s fans, made his position untenable.
“Stevie is a realist. She saw it in her behavior after the match and you heard it in her comments. He knew what was coming. He will be hurt and disappointed, but when the dust settles, he will be the first to acknowledge that he understands why the decision was made.”
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Gerrard replaced Dean Smith just under 12 months ago and won just 13 of his 40 games in charge of the Villa Park team.
He made the bold decision to strip Tyrone Mings of the captaincy and also made Philippe Coutinho’s loan from Barcelona permanent during his time at the club, but the results simply weren’t good enough for the former England international.
Carragher, who won every major trophy except the Premier League during his time at Liverpool, admitted it was “difficult” to see his friend take so much abuse recently.
Although his time at Villa was not entirely planned, our former No. 23 believes Gerrard leaves the Midlands ‘a better and wiser manager’.
“Like his friend, the scenes at the end of the game at Craven Cottage on Thursday were hard to watch,” Carragher continued. “Gerrard is a giant of English, European and world football, and to see someone who has achieved so much in the game, and still has so much more to give, to be ridiculed in such a way is uncomfortable.
“The question now is whether the events of last night have put a fire in his stomach to try again, proving all those criticisms wrong, or whether some of those flames of ambition have been extinguished. Only Stevie can answer that after a period of reflection.
“Where could I go next? There are practical reasons why so many elite players of our generation choose not to pursue a coaching career. Most of us are unprepared to walk away from the glamor of elite football, deterred by management because rising from Championship clubs isn’t all that appealing.
“Financially, we don’t need that kind of daily pressure. A role will only be tempting if it promises a path to the Premier League. I can’t imagine Gerrard at a mid-table championship club, for example, but taking that position is the best way to rebuild his reputation as a manager should he wish to try again.
“The shame of that is that no matter what is said or written, you can guarantee that Gerrard leaves Villa a wiser and better manager than the one who took the job.”
It’s no secret that Gerrard’s long-term goal is to take the manager’s job at Anfield one day, but his lack of success at Villa Park may have seriously affected his hopes of landing the job.
He has already shown that he can win trophies as a manager with the fantastic job he did with Glasgow Rangers, but the Premier League is a different beast and hard lessons have been learned.
Jurgen Klopp revealed earlier today that he has spoken to Gerrard since his dismissal and has given Scouser a suggestion to react well to the setback and we certainly hope that another club will trust the Liverpool legend once he is ready.
We wish you all the best for the future.
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