Steven Gerrard being outdone by his ‘mate’ as icon faces Anfield snub

Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard could be facing a tough battle to surpass one of his former team-mates as the natural heir to Jurgen Klopp at Anfield before the German boss eventually walks away from the club. The Reds have endured a turbulent campaign in the Premier League to date and will find it hard to secure a top-four finish, while they have fared no better in cup competitions and will end the season without any major trophies to show for their efforts.

Klopp is not expected to leave Anfield any time soon in spite of Liverpool’s lacklustre form over the last few months, with club chiefs reportedly prepared to stick by the 55-year-old as he gears up to rebuild his ageing squad in the summer transfer window. Speculation has long been rife over his eventual replacement on Merseyside, though, with Gerrard having been touted as Klopp’s long-term successor from the earliest days of his managerial career.

The former England midfielder saw his stock rise during his time at Rangers, who he helped to end Celtic’s nine-year spell of dominance in the Scottish Premiership with an unbeaten title-winning campaign in 2020/21. However, a growing number of questions have been asked over Gerrard’s ability in the dugout since jumping ship to Aston Villa, where he lasted just 11 months before he was unceremoniously dismissed back in November.

Gerrard has remained out of work ever since and risks being overtaken in the race to succeed Klopp at Liverpool one day by former Reds team-mate Xabi Alonso, who has been turning plenty of heads since taking charge of Bayer Leverkusen last summer. He fine-tuned his craft in his first managerial stint with Real Sociedad’s reserve team before making the transition to senior level with Leverkusen, who are poised to finish in the Bundesliga’s top six this season after reaching the Europa League semi-finals.

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Alonso would possibly be a more credible option to manage Liverpool in the future than Gerrard as things stand, with the Spaniard’s stock likely to continue rising if he keeps impressing in the dugout in Germany into next season and beyond. The pair were good friends during their time together as players at Liverpool, with Alonso describing Gerrard as his ‘mate’ in a heartfelt Twitter message shortly before the latter’s Anfield exit in 2015.

It remains to be seen if either Alonso or Gerrard will eventually manage the Reds at some point further down the line, although it seems clear that no changes will be made in the dugout at Liverpool for the foreseeable future at least. Klopp committed his future to the club last month despite the risk of missing out on Champions League qualification for next season, while the powers that be are reportedly set to stand by him rather than wielding the axe in advance of the new campaign.

“I never thought I am the best manager in the world and now I don’t think I am the worst,” Klopp told reporters. “In the long term these moments make me a better manager, definitely. To get the best out of yourself and to improve you need to experience pretty much everything.

“For me and the rest of the coaching staff, this will make us better. That hasn’t kicked in yet but we have to do what is right and help the boys to become the best version of themselves again. We were there for a long time – and we will be there again. That’s the job I have to do.”

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