Tweet
The path to elusive league glory for the former Liverpool star starts with a fearless approach at his new club
Steven Gerrard was asked whether he had come back to a Premier League more brutal than the one he left and his answer, offered through the faint upwards curl of a smile, betrayed old wounds. “I played in a real tough league,” he said. “I worked extremely hard to win this competition for 17, 18 years and never managed to do it so I’m fully aware of how tough it is: the individual duels, the rivalry, the teams. This league has got everything, it’s got the lot.”
Winning it as a manager would, to a greater or lesser extent, scratch the itch that remained agonisingly elusive for Gerrard at Liverpool. That is not a realistic goal for Aston Villa at this point but, during his unveiling, none of the hierarchy present were of a mind either to limit or over-exaggerate expectations. The closest anyone came to setting a target was when Gerrard, reflecting on the respectable Europa League showings he oversaw at Rangers, considered the prospect of blank Thursday nights. “I will miss it because I think every player, manager and fan wants to be in Europe,” he said. “That’s the dream and the long-term goal here. We’ll try and provide that as quickly as possible.”
Continue reading...
More...
Steven Gerrard was asked whether he had come back to a Premier League more brutal than the one he left and his answer, offered through the faint upwards curl of a smile, betrayed old wounds. “I played in a real tough league,” he said. “I worked extremely hard to win this competition for 17, 18 years and never managed to do it so I’m fully aware of how tough it is: the individual duels, the rivalry, the teams. This league has got everything, it’s got the lot.”
Winning it as a manager would, to a greater or lesser extent, scratch the itch that remained agonisingly elusive for Gerrard at Liverpool. That is not a realistic goal for Aston Villa at this point but, during his unveiling, none of the hierarchy present were of a mind either to limit or over-exaggerate expectations. The closest anyone came to setting a target was when Gerrard, reflecting on the respectable Europa League showings he oversaw at Rangers, considered the prospect of blank Thursday nights. “I will miss it because I think every player, manager and fan wants to be in Europe,” he said. “That’s the dream and the long-term goal here. We’ll try and provide that as quickly as possible.”
Continue reading...
More...