Rio Ferdinand says he expects Liverpool to approach Steven Gerrard as interim manager and even advised the Reds icon to expect a call-up from his former club as pressure mounts on head coach Arne Slott. The reigning Premier League champions returned to form on Sunday with a 2-0 win against West Ham United.
With this victory, they moved up to 8th place in the Premier League standings, with the gap between them and the top four narrowed to just 3 points. However, before the trip to London, Liverpool had lost nine of their last 12 games.
This dismal losing streak included heavy defeats against Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven, with the Reds conceding a whopping 10 goals in those three games.
After the final whistle blew as Liverpool lost 4-1 in the Eredivisie, fans became even more nervous and complained.
The Liverpool Echo reports that Slott’s role has understandably come under scrutiny outside of Anfield due to Liverpool’s recent poor performance.
Although West Ham’s win relieved some of the pressure, Ferdinand admitted he could still imagine Gerrard stepping into the slot on an interim basis if Liverpool decide to part ways with the Dutchman.
“I was in Qatar with Steven Gerrard for the last few days,” the Manchester United legend revealed on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, where he attended last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix with his former England team-mates. “The other day, I said to him over dinner, ‘Listen, you need to sharpen your tools. Sharpen your tools and get ready, because you might be coming back as interim boss.’
“With so many games coming up, I thought Slott might not be able to get through all the games in good enough condition. I think there might be too much pressure from the terraces and the fan base that they might make a decision.
“In a situation like that, when you have someone like Steven Gerrard sitting there who is a club legend, you forget about his tenure at different clubs.
“We have a football club legend ready to come in and steady the ship for them. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Steven Gerrard had been contacted.”
However, while Ferdinand may have hinted to Gerrard that he could become Liverpool’s next manager, albeit temporarily, fellow Reds icon Jamie Carragher takes a different view, rejecting the idea of his former teammate becoming manager.
“The idea of Liverpool changing a manager who won the league, Liverpool have never done that,” he said in the latest episode of Sky Bet’s Overlap Fan Debate. “So who are we going to appoint? The idea of an interim coach, who is going to be appointed and how is that going to be done?”
“No, I don’t imagine (the rumors about Liverpool turning to Gerrard are true). He was a manager at Villa and had great success at Rangers.
“He’s a legendary figure and he’s back at Liverpool. I don’t think most Liverpool fans would be keen on Steven Gerrard. Everyone would be keen to see Arne Slott perform.
“They are in a very bad situation, but if we turn it around, how long will it last?”
