I had to do an experiment.

Saudi Arabian clubs are kicking out not only players but also coaches from Europe this summer – Al-Ittifaq has announced the appointment of Steven Gerrard as head coach.

Klopp’s heir misses Liverpool

Even when Gerrard took the first steps in his coaching career, there were rumors that in the future he would be the one to take over from Jurgen Klopp. It would make for a good story: the Liverpool legend, who gained experience and hardened at other clubs, replaces the German coach who brought the team their first Scudetto in 30 years and led the Reds to Champions League victory. This story is worthy of a great club.

And Gerrard has already taken his first steps. After a year in charge of Liverpool’s under-19 team, he reached senior level and quickly took charge of Scottish Rangers. The team was perfect for the initial period of a career – the level of strength in the Scottish championship is not as high as in the English Premier League. At the same time, the Light Blues are a top club fighting for the championship and participating in the European Cup battles. Indeed, Stephen worked in conditions close to those he would have had at Liverpool, but without such pressure and with a less busy schedule.

And the specialist set a certain bar: in the very first season in charge of Rangers, he won silver medals, then a second silver, and after that he finally won the championship title from Celtic. There was nothing to prove in the Scottish team, so Gerrard went to Aston Villa.

By then, Lions were entrenched in the Premier League, but the 21/22 season got off to a bad start and they teetered on the edge of the relegation zone. After the arrival of Gerrard, “Villa” gained a steady pace and returned to the top ten. Already in the final segment, the team gave up and went to the 14th line, but with the experience of the coach, this was forgivable.

Unfortunately for Stephen, he wasn’t ready to give the team more, although the Lions had reservations. After Unai Emery took over as head coach, Villa rose from 13th place in the Premier League on the 7th he qualified for the European cups. And Gerrard was out of work until the summer.

Retire too early

The former Rangers manager was not ready for serious coaching tests, there were too many “buts” in his work at Aston Villa. I was able to give Felippe Coutinho momentum, but the effect wore off the following season. He helped the “Lions” avoid the struggle for survival, but, firstly, he did not instill stability in the team, and secondly, he could not develop progress and get into the top ten. He received a good composition but could not realize the potential of him.

At the same time, the young coach had room for development, but he chose the championship of Saudi Arabia. Now the championship is changing its image. The teams began to fight for the best players, after Ronaldo they attracted Ngolo Kante, Karim Benzema, Edouard Mendy, fought for Neymar, Messi, Modric and many other quality performers. In the future, such actions can bring SA to a new level: the league will become more attractive, there will be stronger players. But all this is a matter of time. Now such a project is in its infancy. Gerrard will not receive the level of stamina and selection of players necessary for development – Al-Ittifaq is not in the first echelon of Arab clubs.

Another question: did Stephen have other options? The mentor did not have time to develop his coaching style, he did not pass the test of the English middle class: if Gerrard could take Villa to a new level, then he would have a more attractive image for clubs. After an unsuccessful attempt with the “lions”, another tempting offer was probably not received, and for the sake of practice, the specialist decided on a risky step.

The best coaches have visited SA

By the way, Gerrard is not the first who has decided to make a transition to Saudi Arabia, so far there are no interesting offers. closest to RPL an example is Rui Vitoria. The Portuguese coach left Benfica’s coaching staff in his native league – and in his return he overtook Fatima, Pacos de Ferreira, Vitoria – with the latter Rui already achieved victory in the Portuguese Cup, after which he returned to Benfica and two times became the champion, once again won the national cup, twice the Super Bowl.

Before managing Spartak and then the Egypt national team, Vitoria coached Al-Nasr throughout the season.

A more recent example is Rudi Garcia, who, after Al-Nasr himself, arrived at Napoli. The Frenchman managed to become the champion of Ligue 1 and the owner of the French Cup with Lille, then he reached the final THE-17/18 at Marseille – and with each of his teams he has regularly qualified for European competitions, and with Roma, moreover, finished in the top 3 three times in a row. Rudy has stagnated in recent years, especially since Marseille and Lyon did not rise above the 4th line under him, the demand for a specialist disappeared. Hence the work in Al-Nasr.

Now in Saudi Arabia there are also quite strong specialists. After another move to Benfica, Jorge Jesus went to the Middle East (he managed Al-Hilal again), Nuno Espirito Santo also arrived – he built an effective system at Wolverhampton and after parting signed a contract with Al- Ittihad.

It remains to be hoped that this station will not be the last for Gerrard, perhaps he will still be able to get to Liverpool.