Steven Gerrard’s Managerial Career: Teams He Coached Before Moving to Saudi

• Steven Gerrard signed a two-year deal with Al-Ettifaq to manage the club
• He coached in Scotland before, managing Rangers from 2018 to 2021
• He also served as manager of English Premier League side Aston Villa

Steven Gerrard is joining the Saudi revolution.

The former Liverpool midfielder has returned to life in the dugout with Al-Ettifaq, who have named him as their new manager on a two-year contract.

The Saudi League club announced the news on Monday.

Sports Brief looks at Gerrard’s previous managerial stints ahead of his much-anticipated return to coaching in the Middle East.

Rangers (2018-2021)

The Englishman started his managerial career with the under-19 team of his former side, Liverpool, leading them in the 2017-18 Youth League, per Daily Mail.

He entered talks with Scottish Premiership club Rangers in April 2018 to become their next manager.

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Gerrard’s appointment seemed imminent after Rangers sacked incumbent manager Graeme Murty on May 1, 2018.

That happened three days after Murty’s dismissal, with Rangers confirming they had signed Gerrard to a four-year contract.

He had a dream start at Rangers, going 12 matches unbeaten in all competitions.

Bitter rivals Celtic ended that incredible run, handing Rangers a 1-0 loss on September 2.

Rangers managed to exact revenge in the reverse fixture on December 29, with Gerrard leading the club to a 1-0 win. That was their first victory over Celtic since 2012.

Rangers finished second in the league that season, but the belief was growing among fans that Gerrard was the man who would bring them back to the top.

That he did in the 2020-21 season, leading Rangers through a record-breaking campaign. They won the Scottish Premiership without losing a league match, tallying 102 points across 38 games.

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Rangers surrendered just 13 goals that season as they gave Gerrard his first trophy as manager.

Aston Villa (2021-2022)

That title win made Gerrard a top target for English clubs looking for a new coach. He became the new manager of Aston Villa on November 11, 2021, four days after the club sacked Dean Smith.

Villa paid huge amounts of money to Rangers to land Gerrard in the middle of the season. They gave the Scottish club around £4 million in compensation to release Gerrard from his contract.

The move didn’t pay dividends for Villa, however, as they failed to reach new heights under Gerrard in the 2021-22 season. They finished 14th in the Premier League, three places lower than their previous campaign.

Their form didn’t improve at the start of the 2022-23 season, winning just two of their opening 11 league games, putting them in danger of relegation.

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Villa’s 3-0 loss to Fulham proved to be the final straw for Gerrard, who was sacked by the club just 11 months after his move from Rangers, per BBC.

Sudakov stars for Ukraine

Sports Brief recently reported on Ukraine defating France in the quarterfinal of the Euro U21 tournament.

Georgiy Sudakov scored twice to lead Ukraine to a 3-1 victory.

They will next face Spain in the semis.