Steven Gerrard - into the world of management

Just before the Bayern Munich game I called a meeting with Mesut Ozil. Ozil has had a brilliant season so far and has arguably been our best player, but I was sick of the media attention he brought. Every day he was on the back page aparently joining club X or Y.

I had to put an end to it ...​

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Steven Gerrard: Hi Mesut, thanks for seeing me.

Mesut Ozil: No worries Gaffer. Can I help?

Steven Gerrard: Yes you can help, you can tell your agent to '**** off'. I'm sick of these news stories with you Mesut. Everyday I read that you leaving to join a list of clubs. I need you to stay here!

Mesut Ozil: Yes boss, I agree. The media attention isn't helping me either.

Steven Gerrard: Good! At least we both agree then. I've asked the board of directors to make you a contract offer that you can't refuse. We're close to something special here lad, money isn't everything. Medals are far more important, and I promise you'll win them all here!

Mesut Ozil: I can't lie boss, I'm pleased with my football this season and I'm happy at the club. I'll see what the club can offer. Thanks for seeing me.

Steven Gerrard: Thanks Mesut. Oh and by the way, be ready for Bayern on Tuesday ... I really want to turn them over.

Mesut Ozil: Can't wait boss.
 
When I got into the office the next morning, I was trilled to see this message from the board:​

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The board had stuck to their word and offer Ozil a good contract to match his performances.

£170k per week was agreed for 5 years!

This is a long contract and probably his last big one with him being 29 already.

His form this season has been brilliant, he's top of the Premier League assist average ratings chart.​
 
Here we go then! The return game against Bayern Munich. Although this game doesn't mean anything in terms of result or qualification, it means a lot to me to prove we can mix it with the real big boys.​

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As expected, we went with a full strength side with the man of the hour, Gabriel Barbosa leading the line up front. The side pretty much picks itself these days, the only slight change I made was to drop Wilshere back a little more to help out Wanyama as I'm expecting wave after wave of Bayern pressure.

Bayern must have the same mentality as me as they also go with their strongest side. Robert Lewondowski, Mario Gotze and Thomas Muller the real danger men.​

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I'm delighted with this win! Really really pleasing!

We not only won the game but also dominated the game in terms of attempts and attempts on target. As expected, Bayern dominated the possession stat but it's no good if they're not creating anything with it.

We took the lead very early on through Santi Cazorla. I doubt Cazorla will have ever scored an easier goal as Sergio Ramos hit the crossbar with a bullet header, the re-bound then fell straight to Cazorla who simply put the ball in the empty net.

History then repeated itself from the first leg as a red card was shown just before half time, this time shown to Hojbjerg of Bayern. Bayern never really threatened, maybe they weren't interested as qualification was already guaranteed for us both.​
 
That brilliant win over Bayern ensured we finished the group stage on a real high ...

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Maybe it's me being stupid but I don't understand who Bayern have finished above us here!! We're both on 13 points but we have a better goal difference, by one goal.

Maybe it's something to do with the seeding rules, as we were out of the competition for a few years we were unseeded for this years tournament.

The rest of the groups looked like this ...

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In terms of who else qualified, it's pretty much as you'd expect.

Dortmund and Athletico qualified from group A which seemed a pretty standard group, although it looks like they made a meal of it.

Barcelona obviously qualified as group winners from their group with Benfica pipping Bordeaux to second place.

Lyon and Chelsea are the two to qualify from group C, again with no problems.

Tottenham can be really pleased in winning their group by beating Juventus and Basel as their main competitors.

Porto and PSG were the victors in probably the closest group of them all. Wolfsberg finishing just 2 points off Porto in first place but still failed to qualify.

Real Madrid also won their group with ease, only dropping 2 points along the way. They finished 8 points clear of Celtic in second who can still be really pleased to qualify and beat both PSV and Shaktar.

Lastly Liverpool continued their good form in this competition by winning their group with 5 wins from the 6 games. Galatasary were the other team to progress in a weak group.

In terms of the teams we could face in the next round:

Athletico Madrid
Barcelona
Lyon
Porto
or Real Madrid.

Whoever we get is going to be difficult, I have to go with Lyon though as being the weakest opponent there. Just anyone other than Madrid or Barcelona.

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BRILLIANT!

The exact opponent I didn't want! Real Madrid over two legs ... how hard can it be?!

What's really frustrating is that Bayern, who somehow won the group, got paired against Benfica!​
 
Group stages it goes on head to head, so the goal difference between you is what has them ahead of you. Unfortunate really, particularly given the draw you then got :(
 
Back to league action and an away trip to Pride Park coming up, my previous employers ...

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Unsurprisingly both sides line up with their strongest sides. We had some injury news before the game which keeps Jack Wilshere out for 4 months! Fortunately, we have a ready and able replacement in Aaron Ramsey.

Derby were showing me a few of their new signings since I'd left, they'd gone out and bought two new wingers - Masuku and Leal. If I'm honest, I'd never heard of them! Other than that their side was pretty much the same as when I left.

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Another really pleasing win!

A few of the old Derby lads really wanted to win this to show me what I'd left behind, thankfully we were just too strong for them.

Derby managed to keep us at bay until half time, although they had their keeper and the woodwork to be thankful for.

We started the second half brilliantly and took the lead minutes after the restart. Santi Cazorla yet again!

Gabriel Barbosa then doubled the lead only 10 minutes later. Derby did get one back just after the hour mark through another new signing Ferreyra but they never really threatened again.

In truth, we were in total control. 31 shots and 16 on target with 57% possession is pretty impressive for an away side.

More good news is that Man City only drew with Newcastle meaning we are now 4 clear with them having just 1 game in hand.​
 
PatrickLFC said:
Group stages it goes on head to head, so the goal difference between you is what has them ahead of you. Unfortunate really, particularly given the draw you then got :(
Click to expand...

Oh right, thanks for explaining! I'd have never worked that out lol. I was gutted when i saw Bayern had got Benfica :(
 
After the game against Derby, I went out onto the pitch after everyone had left. It was just me and my thoughts.

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During the game, the Derby fans gave me a bit of stick which was quite upsetting. It got me thinking about how I left, as soon as I started thinking about this I had a sudden surge of regret.

Maybe I was too harsh to the directors, maybe I should have given them one more year. I loved this place and I loved the atmosphere the fans brought.

Then my sensible side started shouting at me, "Are you mad? We're top of the league with Arsenal and have just qualified to play Real Madrid in the Champions League".

I still felt guilty and phoned the chairman of Derby on my way home (we hadn't spoken since I stormed out of his office last year).

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Mel Morris: Hello, who's this?

Steven Gerrard: Mel, its me Steven.

Mel Morris: What the ****** **** do you want? You've already ruined my day by beating us today!

Steven Gerrard: I want to make peace. Going back to the ground today made me realise how much I love this place. I can't stand that some of the fans booed me today.

Mel Morris: Well, can you blame then son? We were going places with you in charge but you only gave us 18 months. We could be in your shoes now had you stayed but instead were right towards the bottom and fighting relegation!

Steven Gerrard: I know Mel, I just couldn't see us improving on last year. The top 4 or 5 clubs are on a different planet, we'd have had no chance. But still, I want to apologise for the way I left. Neither you nor the Derby fans deserved that.

Mel Morris: Apology accepted lad. It turns out you did the right thing anyway. Good luck t Arsenal, you've got one **** of a side if today's anything to go by.​
 
With the emotion of the Derby game behind me, we focused on the League Cup where we were in the Quarter Finals against Man City.

This is a really important game, not only to progress to the League Cup Semi Finals but Man City are also our closest challengers in the league so a win here should give us a real physiological advantage.
Because of this I again went with our strongest line up. We don’t really have any selections decisions to make with everyone playing so well.

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Man City have also gone with a strong line up although they’ve rested Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and Carlos Vela who normally start for them. They’re also playing Kompany in devensive midfield, this is definitely an area we will target with the class and form of Santi Cazorla. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also starts for City, I’m interested to see how he’s developed after moving for big money a couple of years ago. He wouldn’t be getting a game in front of Ozil or Sanchez here anyway.

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A great win that by the boys!

A pretty even game but I think we just about did enough to nick it.
The first half was quite cagey with very few chances for either side. We seem to say this after most games, I’ll have to improve the start to our game somehow.

Once again though the second half improved as Alexis Sanchez scored just minutes after half time. Vincent Aboubakar then levelled from the penalty spot a few minutes later after Laurent Koscielny brought him down.
The game then finished 1-1 and headed into extra time. We dominated extra time as we improved as the game went on. Mesut Ozil scoring in 99th​ minute with what proved to be the winner.

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The other results of the League Cup went pretty much to plan with the only surprise victory being Aston Villa beating Tottenham on penalties. Southampton and Brighton are the other side who make up the draw.

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Pretty happy with that draw, Brighton over two legs shouldn’t cause us too many problems. This is without doubt our best chance of a trophy this season, get past Brighton and either Southampton or Aston Villa await in the final.​
 
Back to League action now and a home game against Stoke. Stoke were always a bogey side of Arsenal’s, especially under Arsene Wenger. Let’s see if we can put that to bed now.

Just before the game we received some injury news of left back Kieran Gibbs who is ruled out for 3 weeks with a groin strain. This means that Criscito gets his opportunity in the first team for the next few weeks or so.

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Anyway, back to the Stoke game.

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Pretty straight forward that really.

In truth the game was won just after the half hour mark after Mesut Ozil made it 2-0. Before that Gabriel Barbosa scored yet again to open the scoring.

Again we really dominated here and never looked like losing the lead. We probably took our foot off the gas too much in the second half but no harm done.

More injury news after the match though as Laurent Koscielny was ruled out for 3 weeks with a damaged neck. They’re a rough bunch from Stoke!! Either Mertesacker or Murillo will take his place.

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Now another home game, against Newcastle. This is another game we should be winning without too much drama.

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This is really disappointing!

We just didn’t turn up today. We went with the same side as we played against Stoke but we were just so poor!

Welbeck came on as a second half substitute and brought a bit of life to us but he just couldn’t find his feet, probably a bit rusty after so little game time this season. He put the ball in the back of the net twice but both were ruled out for marginal offside decisions.​
 
We travelled to Swansea next eager to get back to winning ways. The Newcastle game has dented our confidence a little so we need a performance here!

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Another routine win here. It was nice to get back to winning ways after such a terrible performance against Newcastle.
This time we actually go off to a good start which makes a nice change. Mesut Ozil opened the scoring just after the half hour mark before Sergio Ramos doubled the lead just before half time.

This gave Swansea no hope of coming back. So far our defence has been brilliant and even better at protecting a lead. Once we’re in-front we very rarely get pulled back.

Just after this game we received the worst news possible ...

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This is terrible!

Gabriel Barbosa ruled out for 4 months with a broken foot.

Barbosa has gone on to score 18 goals 19 (4). He originally came into the club as back up to Paulo Dybala but his form has made him irreplaceable.​
 
That Swansea game brought with quite a proud moment ...

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It's now 38 games unbeaten! If we had timed this better then it would have carried out for a full league season. As I've said before, I've only been in charge for 19 of these games but I'm still pretty proud of this.

The Swansea game brought with it the end of month as well ...

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19 Games now played which means we're at the halfway stage.

We're still 4 points clear of Man City who still have a game in hand.

We also went on to win a clean sweep of the monthly awards ...

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First of all, Gerrard collects his second Manager of the month award. This was one with 5 wins from 7 games.

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Cazorla also went on to win the Young Player of the Month award. He went on to score 4 goals in 7 games during this period from an advanced midfield position.

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Barbos had the same stats from a strikers position and went on to claim the Young Player of the Month award. This is the second time in a row that Barbosa has won this.​
 
January started with a home game against Reading, another game we should really be winning

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I think that's what you call 'dominating'.

Another good start to a game saw Mesut Ozil open the scoring after just 10 minutes. Ozil cut inside and struck the ball hard and low beyond the keeper.

Paulo Dybala then doubled the lead before the half hour mark. Mesut Ozil crossed the ball and Dybala easily finished from only a few yards out.​
 
Our next game saw us take on Championship side Barnsley in the Fa Cup 3rd round. Just after our final training session, Santi Cazorla knocked on my office door.

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Steven Gerrard: Hi Santi, take a seat. What can I do for?

Santi Cazorla: Thanks boss. I just wanted you to know that I'm seriously struggling without my family here. They're all still over in Spain and I'm missing them so much!

Steven Gerrard: I'm sorry to hear that lad. I'm here to help, your performances have been outstanding this season, what would help here?

Santi Cazorla: I just want a couple of weeks at home. I know we've got important games coming up and I'm really excited about this unbeaten run but I just can't carry on.

Steven Gerrard: I appreciate you coming to me Santi. I'll arrange a leave of absence for you. Come back on top of your game for the run in of the season. I really hope this helps mate.

Santi Cazorla: Thanks boss. Thanks for understanding, I know not every manager would. ​
 
After talking with Cazorla, we entered the Barnsley game in a it of a subdue mood with Santi leaving back to Spain.

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Even though we weren't in a brilliant mood, we still managed to batter the Championship side.

Danny Welbeck opened the scoring after replacing the injured Barbosa. Pione Sisto then doubled the lead just a minute later with his first goal of the season.

Milan Lalkovic then got one back for Barnsley to keep them in the game. It didn't last long though as Sergio Ramos tucked away a penalty just before half time to restore our 2 goal lead.

Matias Kranevitter then got the 4th with his first of the season as well.

Theo Walcott finished off the scoring to make it 5-1. We then changed down a gear and coasted to victory with Barnsley offering very little.

After the game we saw that we'd been drawn against Stoke in the 4th round. Stoke are currently 10th in the Premiership so will offer a much sterner test than Barnsley but still very winnable.

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The next one is the all important title race 6 pointer against Man City. Just before the game we had some good news with the injured players ...

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First of all Jack Wilshere resumed full training after being injured for 3 weeks with a twisted ankle. He'll now give real competition with Aaron Ramsey to get that midfield partnership. They may be able to play together while Santi Cazorla is still on leave.

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Left back, Kieran Gibbs is also back to full fitness. Gibbs only ended up being injured for a couple of weeks with a groin strain. Criscito had played pretty well while he was in the side but Gibbs is another level up from him.

So, back to the massive 6 pointer against Man City ...

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Man City changed their first eleven slightly from our recent cup game.

James Milner, Strootman, Salvio, Pjanic and Vela all came back into the side and Kompany moved back to central defence.

Let's see how we get on ...

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A pretty drab 0-0 draw in a game which Man City dominated. City really should have gone on to win the game with a total of 14 shots compared to our 5. We only went on to had 2 shots on target which is shocking for us.

We stay 1 point clear with both sides having played the same games.

With us avoiding defeat yet again here, we now stretch our unbeaten run to 40 games.

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​
 
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The rest of the month went pretty well.

Our next game was a 1-0 home win over Everton with Paulo Dybala with the only goal of the game. We struggled in this game until Danny Welbeck came on as a sub, he brilliantly set up Dybala and totally changed the game.

We then battered QPR 4-0 away from home in the next league game. Alexis Sanchez claimed a brilliant hattrick all before the hour mark. Danny Welbeck celebrated a rare start by scoring the 4th goal which ensured us of the win.

Then came the League cup Semi finals against Brighton.I wanted to win the tie in the first leg and therefore played a very attacking side which initially back fired after Brighton took the lead. We then took over and stormed into a 5-1 lead with goals from Murillo, Sisto, Ramsey and a brace from Theo Wlacott. Brighton managed to get one back late on which left a little doubt for the second leg which we really didn't want!

Then came the only defeat of the month, a 3-2 loss to Stoke in the Fa cup 4th round. I went with a weakened side here and Szczecny and Murillo really let me down, Koscielny was also poor. In a way, this isn't too disappointing as we can now concentrate on the league, league cup and champions league.

The final game of the month came with the second leg against Brighton where we won 2-0 away from home. This was very straight forward as we controlled the game from start to finish, only allowing Brighton to have one shot on target all game. Ramsey and Schniederlin with the goals.

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The win against Brighton, over two legs, means we claim our place in the league cup final where we will play Aston Villa in the final after they beat Southampton over their two legged semi final.

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The month didn't end without bad news though, midfielder, Jack Wilshere was ruled out for up to 4 months with a torn calf muscle. This pretty much rules him out for the rest of the season.
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The league table at the end of January looked like this ..

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