Aston Villa fans should be excited by the arrival of Steven Gerrard’s assistant manager.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to The Athletic’s Aston Villa correspondent Gregg Evans, who claimed in a post on Twitter that Michael Beale, Gerrard’s number two at Rangers and likely assistant at Villa, is widely considered to be something of a genius behind the scenes.
Evans went on to share Jordan Campbell’s article for The Athletic regarding Beale’s route into coaching, the influence the 41-year-old has during training and his importance in implementing Gerrard’s tactical vision within a team.
In his tweet, Evans simply said: “Michael Beale is described as a ‘genius’.”
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Fans should be excited
While Gerrard’s appointment as the new Aston Villa manager will undoubtedly steal the headlines over the coming days, should Beale indeed follow the former Liverpool captain to Villa Park, fans should be equally as excited about the appointment of the coach as they are about Gerrard.
Indeed, having gained experience as a coach in both the Chelsea and Liverpool academies, Beale also spent a brief spell as Rogerio Ceni’s number two at Brazilian side Sao Paulo, before returning to England as Liverpool’s head of academy coaching in the summer of 2017.
He would spend just one season in this role, as, following Gerrard’s appointment at Rangers in 2018, the 41-year-old manager offered Beale a role as his assistant at Ibrox, which he duly accepted.
In Glasgow, Gerrard – and Beale – would go on to transform Rangers, winning the club’s first league title for a decade in considerable style, with Gers remaining undefeated for the entirety of the 2020/21 Premiership campaign, as well as reaching the last 16 of the Europa League in each of the last two seasons.
Beale’s role in this success is undeniable, with the 41-year-old coach being understood to lead the vast majority of Rangers’ first-team training – taking a particularly hands-on role with the club’s midfielders and forwards – as well as watching the first half of Rangers’ fixtures from the stands, in order to gain a better tactical understanding of what is happening in a match before offering his findings to Gerrard at half time.
Furthermore, Beale has drawn considerable praise for the work he has done thus far in his career, with Gerrard himself stating of the coach: “It would take me 15-20 years to become as good as Michael Beale as an on-pitch coach, delivering sessions on a daily basis, so I let Mick be Mick because he’s the expert.”
The former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday also claimed that the 41-year-old is one of the best coaches he has ever worked with, stating: “He’s probably the best coach I’ve worked under. His attention to detail and defensive organisation is incredible… it’s the clarity and the role he gives every single player within the system. It’s very refreshing as a player to go into a game and know exactly what’s expected of you.”
As such, while Gerrard is very much the face of the operation, Beale is undoubtedly the brains, with his potential appointment at Villa being an extremely big positive for the club, players and supporters alike.
In other news: Gregg Evans drops major Aston Villa manager update that will have fans elated