Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has admitted the reason he chose to explore a route into football management was because of missing the feeling of being a professional player.
The 41-year-old was a leader on the pitch throughout his Anfield career, setting the standard on the pitch each time he represented the club. Gerrard had a brief spell with LA Galaxy after leaving the Reds in 2015 and was then on a mission to fuel his passion for the game with a new approach.
He began coaching at the Liverpool Academy, overseeing the under-18s side before accepting a fresh challenge at Rangers in 2018. After proving himself in the Scottish Premiership, Aston Villa came calling late last year and are now testing his managerial abilities in a different kind of way.
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For Gerrard, being a manager and a player do not compare. Nothing can replicate stepping out onto the pitch as a captain of a side, though standing on the sidelines is the closest he can come to reliving this experience.
"The one thing I love and the reason why I wanted to pursue becoming a manager is because I miss playing, being in the dressing room and that opportunity to compete and win. You compete in a different way from the side of the pitch, but the feeling is still the same when you set a team up and get that win," he told Sky Sports. "They're both extremely good, but winning as a player is unbeatable. I am a manager because of the feeling of what it was like as a player."
Known for being a no-nonsense individual during his playing days, Gerrard has admitted he has had to take a different approach, where necessary, as the Villa boss. Dishing out hugs at the full-time whistle is no issue for the Liverpool icon, though he has recognised his show of affection does not match that of Jurgen Klopp.
"If someone plays well, goes above and beyond and is all in for me, the stare goes back in the box and the cuddles and love come out," he said. "That's the way you've got to be, you've got to get the balance right. Players need different things, they have different buttons that get them going and I'd like to think I'm a fair manager. When the cuddles need to be cuddles, they're cuddles. They are not as good as Klopp's, but they're there.
"I don't belittle players or muller players in front of people, those days are gone. I am respectful and I do it in the way to try and provoke people in the right way so they can improve."
