Steven Gerrard's standing in the world of football management has taken something of a hefty blow since his time at Rangers.
The Liverpool legend made his first steps into management with his former club's academy side in 2017, before taking charge with the Scottish side in 2018.
Three successful seasons in Glasgow had several major sides on high alert for Gerrard, as he delivered a first league title to Ibrox in a decade in 2021. It was from there that things took a sharp downward turn for the Englishman.
His exploits at Rangers soon saw him appointed Aston Villa manager, and things got off to bright start as he moved the club away from the drop zone. Warning signs were there, however, that their fortunes under Gerrard would soon take a sharp decline.
Just two wins from their final 11 games in 2021-22 were followed by a disastrous start to the following season, which had Villa once again fighting to stay clear of the relegation zone when Gerrard was ultimately sacked in October.
It was a dreadful way for Gerrard's big shot at Premier League management to have transpired - but the 43-year-old has somehow come to his own defence in a surprising interview with the Telegraph on Wednesday.
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Steven Gerrard defends disastrous Aston Villa spell
Steven Gerrard during his time in charge of Aston Villa (Photo: Shutterstock)
In his interview with the Telegraph, Steven Gerrard shared his belief that his work at Villa Park had been "really good" and said he believed it was a step up from the work he had previously done at Rangers.
I don’t think it’s too harsh because when you suffer a set-back and a knock you have got to look yourself in the mirror. You’ve got to have a look at where you have gone wrong and try and improve.
Of course I want to bounce back from that...I’ve had success up to a certain point. I actually felt my own performance at Villa was really good. I actually felt I went to the next level in terms of what I had learnt from Rangers. I felt like I had grown.
But we had a bad run of results. I have to own that and take full responsibility for that. I have to learn from my mistakes. Maybe do things slightly differently and grow and evolve. That’s the only way you can move on from a set-back or a knock.
Given where his managerial stock was at this time three years ago, it must feel somewhat akin to whiplash for Gerrard to now be in charge of Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League. They managed sixth place in the final standings this season, missing out on qualification for continental competition.
Perhaps the most damning element of Steven Gerrard's spell at Aston Villa is that they have immediately been turned into a hugely impressive side by his successor Unai Emery.
Having won just two of their opening 11 games under Gerrard, Villa would win 16 of their remaining 27 to finish in the Europa Conference League places. They went on to secure a historic Champions League place this season, their first full campaign under Emery.
Not sure that we agree with you on this one, Stevie.
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