"He knows the club inside out" - Djibril Cisse wants Liverpool legend to replace Jurgen Klopp as manager at Anfield
Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse wants Anfield icon Steven Gerrard to replace Jurgen Klopp as Reds manager. Gerrard has been out of management since last October after being sacked by Aston Villa.
Klopp's future has been uncertain as the Merseysiders have endured a topsy-turvy season. They went from beating Manchester United 7-0 at Anfield to losing 1-0 to Bournemouth. The Reds are sixth in the league, trailing fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by seven points but have two games in hand. Klopp's side are out of all cup competitions, though.
Gerrard has been touted for a future appointment at Anfield. Cisse wants to see his former Liverpool teammate replace Klopp, telling bettingsites.co.uk:
“In my world, I would love to see Steven Gerrard take over next at Liverpool. I don’t know if it’s the right time, or he’s ready for it – but I’d like to see it. He knows the city; he knows the club inside out and could be a good solution for Liverpool if Klopp goes.”
Gerrard was relieved of his duties at Villa Park following a disappointing start to the season. A 3-0 defeat to Fulham on October 20 was the Villains' sixth defeat in just 11 Premier League games. The English coach spent 11 months with Villa but arrived at the Birmingham-based outfit after a brilliant stint at Rangers.
He won the Scottish Premiership in 2020-21 with the Ibrox giants in just his third season in management. Rangers went unbeaten and ended Celtic's nine-year stranglehold on the title. They won 28 of 33 league games.
Cisse touched on the Liverpool legend's reign at Ibrox, saying that he impressed in the role:
“To be honest, he did well at Rangers, but despite some good moments in the Premier League, ended up getting sacked by Villa. But I still think he’s got it in him, and he’s going to be a really good manager. He’s a great leader, and it will be great to see him back leading a team.”
Cisse recalls Gerrard's inspirational half-time team talk when Liverpool won 2005 UEFA Champions League
Cisse recalled the half-time team talk Gerrard gave during Liverpool's incredible 3-3 (3-2 penalty shootout) 2005 Champions League final win over AC Milan.The Reds trailed the Rossoneri 3-0 at half-time, but that soon changed in the second half. He told RMC Sport:
“Steven gets up and asks all the coaching staff to leave the dressing room, because he wanted to be alone with just the players. All the staff left, even the physios who were giving treatment to the players."
Cisse continued:
“Stevie gets up and says that Liverpool is all he has; it is his club, all he has ever known, and he does not want to be the laughing stock of the history of the Champions League. He says that if we respect him and love him as a captain, then we need to dust ourselves off and get back in the match.
Gerrard was first on the scoresheet for the Reds before Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso completed a memorable comeback. Jerzy Dudek's heroics in extra time and the ensuing shootout saw the Merseysiders clinch the title.