Steven Gerrard - The Long con for the Liverpool job | PL 2021-22

Earlier today, Aston Villa confirmed the signing of their new manager, Steven Gerrard. The former Liverpool player joined the team after Villa sacked Dean Smith last week after a disappointing start to the season.

But why did Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool and England legend, take over at Aston Villa? Why go from the Scottish Premiership where he was in charge of the defending champions, Rangers F.C., to a scrappy relegation fighting Premier League side?

Because Villa Park is closer to Liverpool than Ibrox stadium. Literally and figuratively.

By managing in England, Steven Gerrard is one step closer to being in the reckoning for a dream job. That is, managing the club he loves most in this life. Because believe it or not, Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool at some point.

Here's what he had to say on that topic this year, after leading Rangers FC to their first league title in 10 years. When discussing the possibility of managing Liverpool in the future he said:

"Is it a dream for me to one day to be the Liverpool manager? Yes it is, but not yet."

That's not to say Gerrard would not be considered for the job if he were still managing Rangers FC. However, managing Aston Villa makes him more likely.

Because one of two things is going to happen. He will either do a good job with Villa. So the men in charge of appointing the next Liverpool manager will take that into consideration. Or he will fail to make an impact with Villa, who are already struggling and have recently lost their best player to City.

If the latter happens, there is plausible deniability that he tried his best but it was already a sinking ship. All he needs is to impress people with the style of football he makes Villa play in the coming days.

Here is the thing about managing in the PL once - once you are in, you are always in. Even if Gerrard gets the sack in this Villa job, there will always be other relegation battlers eager for someone to take over. When they need someone to take over, will they look somewhere else or will they look for someone with experience?

This is a win-win for Steven Gerrard in any case.

This is nothing new, by the way. Since the days of Yore, when Sir Alex Ferguson moved from Aberdeen to Manchester United, managers have moved from Scotland to England. Quite recently, Brendan Rodgers moved from title-winning Celtic to manage Leicester City in 2018.

From managing the top side of one country to a mid-table side of another is quite a downgrade, according to some people. It makes sense in a very naive world where everything is equal and public perception doesn't grant greater legitimacy to certain things. In that world, they are right. Moving from title contenders in the Premiership to the Premier League is a step backward.

However, in the real world? Where does money exist? Where do relegated teams from the PL get more than the winners from the other leagues?

Yes, the move makes perfect sense. Every manager in the world wants to test themselves against the best in the world. Every manager in the world would want to be in "the league where it all happens".

In modern football, the best in the world has become synonymous with where the money is. And where exactly is the money? That's right. Of course, someone as competitive as Steven Gerrard would want to move to England.

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Steven Gerrard - What awaits him at Aston Villa?

Rangers FC v Olympique Lyon: Group A - UEFA Europa League

In 11 games in the Premier League, Aston Villa have managed a mere 10 points, from three wins and one draw. They have already been handed seven losses this campaign, five of them coming consecutively in the last five games.

Steven Gerrard will take over the 16th placed team in the league and will oversee a grueling relegation battle. Teams like Watford, Leeds United, Burnley, Brentford and Newcastle United are all just a handful of points away from each other.

Here's why Villa fans shouldn't feel like they've got the shorter end of the stick in this deal:

One does not win the Premiership without even being mildly good at their job. And one, especially, does not stop Celtic from winning their 10th title in a row without being rather excellent.

So what if Steven Gerrard is angling for the Liverpool job? That job depends on him doing this job well. The thing about long cons is that they require the successful execution of several small cons in series.

And Villa fans will be happy with that for the time being.