The world's best coaches tend to mould their teams in their own image. Jurgen Klopp is the ultimate example; Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund have both represented emotional, offensive and aggressive football over the past decade under the German trainer.
Pep Guardiola's obsession with details and control has been upheld by his players in Manchester, Munich and Barcelona, and the same applies to Diego Simeone and his dogged Atletico Madrid outfit, as well as Arsene Wenger and his serene Arsenal sides of the past.
“The heart of the team is the heart of the coach," says Pep Lijnders. "So the character of the coach will become the character of the team."
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Steven Gerrard isn't yet as established as those who will go down as managerial greats, but his ability to successfully imprint his identity upon his team has resulted in his first official Premier League job.
Aston Villa have secured the former Liverpool captain as Dean Smith's successor, with a contract formalised for three-and-a-half seasons in charge of the midlands club.
Gerrard was a 'force' as a player according to Frank Lampard. The 41-year-old was driven, resilient, assertive and relentless during his time on the field, and to describe him as competitive would be an understatement.
His innate qualities and high standards were gradually adopted by his players at Ibrox. Rangers won the Scottish Premiership without losing a single match last season, preventing Celtic from winning a historic 10th in a row in the process.
The Teddy Bears showed a competency to adapt according to different match scenarios under his leadership, with their power to employ various strategies having a positive impact on their European exploits.
Rangers placed 206th in UEFA's coefficient table upon Gerrard's appointment in 2018 but due to their impressive triumphs in the Europa League, they have managed to climb to a current rank of 43rd, ahead of sides such as Marseille, PSV Eindhoven and Galatasaray.
The Glasgow side were able to control the flow of matches with possession against weaker opponents, before changing to control the flow of matches without possession against stronger opposition.
Rangers did not lose any of their home or away fixtures against Benfica, Feyenoord, Braga, Porto, Midtjylland and Villarreal during Gerrard's time at the helm. His team played a total of 41 matches against opponents who are currently ranked inside UEFA's top-100 club coefficients, losing just 13 times.
Gerrard's adaptability as a player was equally impressive. He was a central midfielder under Gerard Houllier, a no.10 under Rafa Benitez and a holding midfielder under Brendan Rodgers, while also filling in as a full-back every few years.
Considering the status of Villa as a mid-table English club compared to Rangers and their strength in Scotland, Gerrard's capacity to change and deliver results depending on whether he possesses the stronger group of individuals should work in his favour in the Premier League.
If there was one element to his game that Gerrard perhaps lacked as a player, it was discipline in a tactical sense. His industrious nature and desire to cover every blade of grass often resulted in gaps forming in midfield, which is said to be a reason as to why Benitez deployed him further forward.
As a coach, the Reds legend do not seem to possess the same weakness, having surrounded himself with assistants who aid his flaws.
"In terms of tactics, I always try to go for Benitez as the base, especially away in Europe." says Gerrard. "The block, compact, no lines, slide at the speed of the ball. I've tried to keep all of that, but I also want a little bit more [in attack]."
4-3-3 has been his go-to system in Glasgow, with Michael Beale - a former coach at Liverpool who also moved to Rangers - said to be pivotal to making Gerrard's vision become a reality on the training ground. “It would take me 15/20 years to become as good as Michael Beale as an on-pitch coach," he said, "so I let Mick be Mick Beale because he’s the expert."
His words depict shades of Klopp and his approach to management on Merseyside. "I need experts around me," says the 54 year-old. "Have people around you with better knowledge in different departments than yourself. That's what leadership is."
If the new claret and blue boss is able to continue shaping his players using his own characteristics at Villa Park - while leaning on the specialists around him - he could transform their fortunes before entering the fray as a potential heir to Klopp's throne in the relatively near future.
There are glaring similarities between Gerrard and Klopp as coaches and people, and given the latter's contract at Liverpool is due to expire in 2024, the former's move to Villa could prove to be a timely stepping stone.
