'Steven Gerrard was my Liverpool captain - he has what it takes to succeed Arne Slot'

Stephen Gerrard

Steven Gerrard has been tipped to one day become Liverpool manager by fellow 2005 Champions League winner Vladimir Smicer.

the legendary captain has also been told he has the right mentality to succeed at a club with the scale of ambition that exists at Anfield, with Smicer insisting: "He would be a very good manager of Liverpool".

Smicer, who famously scored in the iconic 2005 Champions League final comeback against AC Milan.

Smicer played alongside Gerrard for six years between 1999 and 2005 and thinks his ex-skipper has the right qualities to thrive.

As a manager Gerrard won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers in 2021 with 102 points and zero defeats

But Gerrard endured a difficult period in the Premier League with Aston Villa, where he lasted just 11 months before being sacked with the club in the relegation zone.

A period with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq ended at the start of the year for Gerrard and Smicer thinks his one-time colleague has the tools to one day coach at Liverpool.

Smicer

“It's important that if you sign for a club, you need to know where you want to go and what the club's ambitions are,"

“It's not good to sign for a club that is financially struggling and has no future.

“Of course, Steven Gerrard has been a fantastic player, one of the best players I played with. But as a manager, as I said, he's still very young.

“His name is big in England, Europe, and world football, Stevie is fantastic.

“I know his mentality, he's a winner. He definitely wants to go to a club where he feels he has a chance to win games, be a strong team, and build something.

"So if they show him plans for the future and he feels it's achievable, it's interesting for him. But it must have a future, it must have ambition.

“People sometimes ask me if he can one day be the manager of Liverpool. And I'm saying yes, I think one day Stevie G can be a manager of Liverpool.

“He would be a very good manager of Liverpoolin my opinion. But we'll see in the future. He needs to have some success with a team.

“Could it be Birmingham or Wrexham, maybe. But if he has success, why not Liverpool one day.”

Arne Slot's side slumped to their ninth defeat in 12 on Wednesday night as PSV won 4-1 in the Champions League and the Reds are currently on their worst run of form since the 1950s.

Smicer added: “We have seen a different side to Arne Slot this season. You need to critique players when they are not performing. Of course, you don't want to do that publicly.

“It's always a fine line when you want to critique the players.

“It's better when you take them to the training ground, you speak to them, you say, ‘Hey, I'm expecting better from you’.“

“You don't want to say everything in public because people like that but the players don't like that. Of course, I never liked that when you were criticised publicly by your manager.“

“Last year when Jurgen left, he left a very good squad and team for Arne Slot. And Arne was clever. He didn't panic, he didn't buy any players.“

“It was not necessary to do any big movements, big things. But this season is different. The team is completely new, new players. Now he must work really hard.

“It's a hard job for him to put the team all together again and find everyone their space and the system which is working for these new players and new team.

“So it's much, much harder now this season for Arne, and that's why he's maybe saying to the players that he's expecting more from an individual point of view, from the performances, and it will help the team.”

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