As Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard prepare to meet for the first time as managers on Saturday, any talk of greatness in their playing days feels far away .
Both are Champions League winning captains. Both are bonafide Premier League legends.
Both won the Ballon d'Or podium in 2005. In the list of the best players on the planet, he was ranked second and he was ranked third after Ronaldinho.
And both earned him over 100 England caps, and he played together 70 times as part of a midfield conundrum that wasn't properly resolved.
Now the bosses ofAston Villa and Everton, both on the verge of a crisis, threaten the Premier League manager's sack his race his odds. is characterized by a high
There is no definitive answer as to who was the better football player. Debate continues as to why they failed to work together effectively for his three Lions.
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Gerrard has previously The number of England managers who could not handle the tainted 'golden generation' egos.
In his BBC interview in 2020, Gerrard said: we underperformed.
"We needed a better manager than an individual player.
"Now I see managers bigger than the team. Jürgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho , Pep Guardiola.
"I think someone who was high up in the golden generation and ready to make tough decisions got more out of that group of players." Sven-Goran Eriksson, Steve McLaren, Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson didn't fit England's standards, but Gerrard and Lampard are certainly 'bigger' than Villa and Everton teams respectively. .
Both focus on bringing back underperforming players.
Everton bossLampard gave the team a ``b********s'' after his FA his cup loss at Crystal's Palace last season. ' is missing.
And Gerrard had Tyrone stripped of his Mince captaincy before the season started, leaving the England defender on the bench after his shock 2–0 opening day defeat at Bournemouth. rice field.
But neither man is a successful manager of a good old English club trying to imitate its old glory.
When the England team was full of club factions, Lampard and Gerrard were not close friends. The rivalry betweenChelsea and Liverpool was particularly intense during the Mourinho and Benitez era.
There was no real animosity between the two — bright and likable characters.
On the pitch, however, it rarely gelled, whether used together in the middle of a 4-4-2 or with a holding his player behind. .
They weren't carbon copy of him as a player. Lampard was the more consistent goalscorer and Gerrard had stronger defensive ability.
Yet they were so similar that they instinctively wanted to move forward as well.
Top of England he would become a truly successful manager in the flight's first premier. can be a league.
Success as a player, while gaining some respect backstage when a new manager arrives at the club, can quickly fade.
Playing and managing are two very different sets of skills for him. Good players often struggle to coach less capable players.
Gerrard's stock was certainly higher than Lampard's when he took his current post last season.
Lampard had trouble finding a job after Chelsea sacked last January, so Gerrard was interviewed for Billa's job before his November appointment. I was.
When Lampard showed up at Goodison's Park after a year-long hiatus, Lampard was hired by one failed manager after another, at a club that had become synonymous with incompetence, an expensive player. Inherited a team strewn with good flops.
He has struggled to deal with whether big money winners Philippe Coutinho and Emi Buendía can play on the same team.
Everton are just outside the relegation zone thanks to a good home run.
But this summer was anything but optimistic.
Richarlison sold to Tottenham, Dominic Calvert His Lewin suffered another long-term injury and was relegated to Burnley James He Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil alone are the only players on the big kick-off of the weekend. previously signed a permanent contract.
The loan signing of Wolves defender Conor Cody this week and the permanent deal of Lille midfielder Amadou Onana improved the mood.
However, after losing at home to Chelsea, Villa's another loss at the Park caused anxiety.
Gerrard made an impressive start, arriving at Villa after leading the Rangers to unbeatable league his season in 's previous campaign. Manchester city.
However, Villa finished the season dismal, with just two wins from their last 11 games against relegated Norwich and Burnley in a shocking result at Bournemouth on Saturday.
Gerrard lost his beer to assistant Michael when he took over as QPR's manager. was a trusted lieutenant at Ibrox and Villa Park.
He struggled to deal with the question of whether two big-money winners Philippe Coutinho and Emi Buendía could play on the same team, much like Gerrard and Lampard's conundrum.
And his public humiliation of Minsu surprised many at Villa Park, where the England defender is highly respected.
It was a massive, potentially life-changing decision, but perhaps one or two of England's the director should have done.
