There’s been a psychological component to what Gerrard delivers and in this respect it is fascinating to observe him discussing Rafa Benitez in far warmer terms than ever before, in one new interview.
‘I think at the time, when you’ve got this relationship with Rafa, you think he’s picking on you because he’s going into so much detail,’ Gerrard tells Champions League magazine. ‘Your ego gets in the way and you think he’s not liking you. Looking back, he was an absolute master of tough love.’
A lot of our performances, especially away from home, have got a percentage of what I learned from Rafa,’ Gerrard adds in the new interview. ‘In terms of structure, in terms of principles: out of possession, how aggressive we want to be. There’s a lot of Rafa Benitez in Rangers performances.’