After winning the title with Rangers, Steven Gerrard is relishing the “first bit of success” he has enjoyed since the “lowest point” of his career at Liverpool.
Gerrard’s side clinched the Scottish Premiership at the beginning of this month having beat St Mirren 3-0 and then seen Celtic held to a 0-0 draw at Dundee United.
The results opened up an unassailable 20-point gap at the top of the table, and secured the first piece of silverware for the 40-year-old in his fledgling managerial career.
It is Gerrard’s first trophy since winning the League Cup with Liverpool in 2012, with the events of a 2-0 loss to Chelsea two years later setting in motion the miserable events that ended his time on Merseyside.
He has spoken regularly about the emotional blow of his slip at Anfield that day in 2014, and reflected on the situation with the Telegraph, suggesting he has now exorcised his demons.
“It was the first bit of success since the lowest point I had been at,” he said of Rangers’ title win.
“I’m refusing to speak about this Chelsea situation moving forward, but it’s been well documented the emotional journey that game and that setback took me on from a personal point of view.
“To actually be in the place that I was in, in the training ground canteen watching the Celtic game, and the outcome, was the complete opposite end of the scale.
“I will never compare what I have done as a player and what I have done as a manager, but the emotional high from the success of winning the league was a brilliant feeling.
“It is one I will cherish forever.”
Later in the interview, Gerrard admitted that he has received interest from other clubs, with it widely expected that he make the move to England sooner rather than later, though the Liverpool job is still far from his grasp.
But he explained that “all that does is that it tells me I am on the right lines,” with the legendary No. 8 taking a more measured approach to management than he could when he was a player.
That, he attests, is gleaned from Jurgen Klopp, who he described as a “master” of detaching himself from the emotion of results.
“One thing I learned from Jurgen is to try and detach yourself, and be more balanced around the results,” Gerrard said.
“He is a master of it. I am not. I am trying to get better at it.
“I was an emotional player, I wore my heart on my sleeve. I feel results and want to be as authentic and real as I can. But as a manager you have to be more balanced.”
That is certainly standing Gerrard in good stead, and it is warming to hear that he feels the “lowest point” of that loss to Chelsea is now forgotten as he forges a new, successful path as a manager.
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