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Footage shows Gerrard telling Al-Ettifaq stars to calm down after two straight wins

talksport.com, 19 August 2023, 14:47
Steven Gerrard tried to stop his Al-Ettifaq players from getting too carried away as they celebrated winning two straight games.

The Saudi Arabian club posted a video on social media of the vibes in the dressing room after their victory over Al-Hazm on Friday night.

Captain Jordan Henderson missed out on the game due to illness, but his new teammates did the former Liverpool midfielder proud with a 2-0 win away from home.

It means after two games of the new Saudi Pro League season, Al-Ettifaq are one of only two teams with a 100 per cent start.

Gerrard's men secured a triumph over Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane's Al-Nassr on the opening day last weekend, thanks to a goal from ex-Fulham and Celtic striker Moussa Dembele.

The only other team with two wins from two is Al Ahli, whose front-three comprises of former Premier League trio Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Allan Saint-Maximin.

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Al-Ettifaq's players were in a jubilant mood after the win that sees a team that finished seventh in the league last season currently up in second place.

However, Gerrard was keen to play down their bright start when he greeted his team after the match.

"Two games, it's only two games," declared the Liverpool icon as he strolled into the dressing room, holding up two fingers to help make his point.

But the Al-Ettifaq stars either didn't understand their boss, ignored him, or just couldn't hear him over the noise, as they happily chanted, clapped and danced as they celebrated their win.

Manager Gerrard eventually ditched his serious face and danced a merry jig of his own, with a big grin across his face as he then left his players to do their thing.

Gerrrad has a right to be happy after his team's solid start to his first season in charge in Saudi Arabia.

The former Liverpool captain took charge earlier this summer in a career move that was questioned by many - including talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan who remarked that it left his managerial reputation 'in the toilet'.

Gerrard also earned some early ridicule through a series of training videos where he appeared to struggle to communicate with his players, while Al-Ettifaq failed to win any of their opening four pre-season friendlies.

But the signing of Henderson, fellow English-speaker Jack Hendry and experienced striker Dembele have given the team a boost and they have made it count when it mattered.

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