It’s been two weeks since Steven Gerrard took over as the new Rangers manager and it promises to be another busy few weeks as the pressure settles in for the Ibrox gaffer.
In his first job in senior management, Gerrard faces a number of challenges at Rangers, who are looking to get back to the summit of Scottish football.
The 38-year-old has been working as an academy coach at Liverpool since April last year, but with all eyes on him at Ibrox and not much time to turn things around, what major issues will he have to prioritise as he takes his first steps into management?
Bringing players in
Gerrard has wasted no time in rejuvenating the squad and his capture of Connor Goldson from Brighton makes his sixth summer signing.
Rangers had two bids for Goldson rejected before finally securing the stopper’s four-year contract.
The centre back position appears to be of first concern to the former Liverpool midfielder as he sealed Croatian defender Nikola Katic for an undisclosed fee.
Despite not being part of Croatia's squad for the World Cup, the 21-year-old earned his first cap for the national side in a friendly against Mexico last year.
Gerrard has also secured moves for boyhood Rangers fan Scott Arfield from Burnley and Liverpool youngster Ovie Ejaria on a season-long loan to help strengthen midfield.
Jamie Murphy, who initially joined the Gers on loan from Brighton in January, has also signed on a permanent deal.
Scotland keeper Allan McGregor also agreed terms to return to Rangers on a two year deal.
Rangers have also been linked with Hibs midfielder John McGinn, and Gerrard has his eye on Dylan McGeouch, Dominic Solanke, Ryan Kent and Harry Wilson.
After the success of Ross McCrorie last season, Gerrard may consider taking a look at Rangers’ youth academy.
While overhauling the squad to give Rangers a fresh feel is important, Gerrard needs to be careful that he doesn’t fall into similar pitfalls that Pedro Caixinha fell into. When Caixinha took over in May 2017, his signings turned into expensive failures as his players were too different and did not work or fit well together on the pitch.
Deciding who will be on the training pitch for the new season
As well as his new signings Gerrard needs to look at Rangers’ current squad, and dealing with unsettled players will be something he will have to manage as they are due to return for pre-season training tomorrow.
St Johnstone and Motherwell are currently looking at Michael O'Halloran, and after being criticised for being pictured sitting among Celtic fans at the Scottish Cup Final, it’s unlikely he’ll stay at Rangers.
The future of Bruno Alves is under speculation as he’s a target for Vitoria Guimaraes. Josh Windass, Alfredo Morelos and Wes Foderingham have also been linked with moves away from the club.
Both Eduardo Herrera and Carlos Pena have been checked into rehab, and won’t be ready for pre-season training.
Rangers’ future captain
Since Kenny Miller is unlikely to play for Rangers again and Lee Wallace is still in dispute with the club after being suspended for an alleged bust-up with Graeme Murty at Hampden after the Celtic loss, Gerrard is left with another challenge.
Wallace was hit with a four week fine, but he is set to fight the punishment which is the maximum under PFA Scotland rules. His club ban has been lifted and he is due to be at training, but with the ongoing row and Declan John’s impressing form last season, his future could be under jeopardy.
If John’s form continues, Wallace might not even be guaranteed a regular place in the first team – let alone be the team’s captain.
It’s possible that James Tavernier could be a popular choice, but he has been linked with Crystal Palace.
Or maybe one of his new signings could be the next Rangers captain.
Handling the Europa League
Rangers will be determined not to have a repeat showdown of last year’s Europa League shocker, which means that Gerrard hasn’t got much time to know his players, squad and style of play before it kicks off for them on July 12th.
It gives him 28 days to be exact.
Last year Rangers suffered a humiliating defeat to Progres Niederkorn, and although Gerrard will be hoping to avoid the Luxembourg minnows again, a defeat at the first hurdle is inconceivable for the Gers.
But how is he going to handle the Europa League going into it with next to no managerial experience?
It takes a certain type of manager in the Scottish Premier League, and it takes a certain type of manager to take a Scottish club to the Europa League. Just because Gerrard knows how to play in big games like these, doesn’t mean he knows to manage.
This is echoed by St Mirren chairman Gordon Scott who, at the time where ex- Real Madrid playmaker Guti was linked with Paisley club, said:
“You can't just bring in somebody because they have played in a Champions League final or for their country. That doesn't mean they can manage in Scotland.”
This will be another big test for Gerrard.
Setting realistic expectations and handling the Old Firm
One of the biggest things he will have to deal with as the Rangers manager is the Old Firm.
Murty was sacked as Rangers manager back in May after he was given the job until the end of season following a spell in interim charge when Caixinha was sacked. Despite his success for the club – he brought them up to second place where they were on-and-off throughout the season competing with Aberdeen – it wasn’t enough.
The real problem stemmed from the fact that fans demand that Rangers were not bested by anyone – especially not by rivals Celtic.
They didn’t just want a manager who could take them to the top of the table. They also wanted a manager who could close the gap entirely on Celtic.
Looking at where Rangers left things last season, they are still way off the mark in being a real challenge for the Hoops. For some this is where Murty failed, even though he brought them up from where they were the season before.
Gerrard will need to set realistic expectations for the club right at the start. Is it going to be enough just to better the team and bring Rangers up to second place? Or is beating Celtic going to become a priority, regardless of where they end up on the table?
Of course, Gerrard is in a different position than most people would be as a Rangers manager. Brendan Rodgers was one of his former managers when he played at Liverpool, and now the Celtic boss is one of his biggest rivals.
This means Gerrard has the added pressure of handling his first face-to-face meeting with his former gaffer in the dugout whilst working out if beating his rival team is going to be more important than landing a decent position in the table.
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