On December 12, Beijing time, in the 16th round of the Premier League, Liverpool defeated Aston Villa 1-0 at home. The game had a special meaning because Gerrard was home – as the opposing manager, the Anfield fans also gave the former captain a warm applause.
Liverpool has countless great superstars in history and Gerrard is definitely not the most successful one, after all, he has never won the top flight, but he is definitely the one that is most loved by contemporary Reds fans, or even one of them.
In 2015, when Gerrard left after making 710 appearances for Liverpool and scoring 185 goals, fans in the KOP stands began to look forward to the day when he would return to Anfield.
As a player, Gerrard never returned. But now, he's finally back, albeit not what one would expect: as Liverpool manager.
If it weren't for Aston Villa's decision to sack Dean Smith, Gerrard's trip home would have been postponed. After the success of the Soviet Premier League, he took up the coaching whip of a Premier League team for the first time, which immediately brought changes to Villa: 3 wins and 1 loss in 4 rounds, only to lose to Manchester City.
So, Gerald returned. The club has changed little from when he left, except for one more Premier League trophy and a Champions League title. The slogan "This is Anfield" is still there, and he has never been the "enemy" of the stadium.
Before the game, Klopp said: "Thanks to Gerrard will not play. When he came on the pitch, he deserved everything he would get and he was one of the best players of all time. Gerrard said: "It always feels great to walk through the door of Anfield, it carries a lot of my memories. But I prepared for this game professionally and didn't mix personal emotions into it. ”
The moment he stepped into Anfield, liverpool fans gave Gerrard a warm applause, which he also responded with applause. But when the game whistles, as Gerald says, each is its own master, and he will fight to the end and take the points from here.
Overall, Villa's performance was good, especially on the defensive end, but it was a tight spot, with Mins sending points and Salah breaking the deadlock. In the end, Liverpool and Klopp were better, with Villa and Gerrard losing.
However, a 0-1 small loss, he proved his ability to some extent, but still needs to grow, but as long as he keeps improving, Gerrard's future is worth looking forward to - will he coach Liverpool one day? Klopp: "Yeah, I think so completely. ”