Interview: Liverpool need to invest in players with experience, says former Real Madrid and Liverpool player Steve McManaman

McManaman played for Real Madrid and Liverpool

“It’s fine. I think I am used to this lovely weather. The complexion of my skin is very suited to this hot weather”. It’s close to 35 degrees Celsius on a Saturday morning in Mumbai but former Liverpool and Real Madrid playmaker, Steve McManaman reckons it’s only right to fool around a bit on April 1st.

Sportskeeda sat down with the former England midfielder, who’s currently in Mumbai for the Standard Chartered trophy.

Do you think Liverpool have the personality to cement a place in the top 4?

Yes, very much so. This week is very important for Liverpool. They play Everton and Bournemouth at home later. The fact that Chelsea play Manchester City on Wednesday, this week could be a very important week. Liverpool have the personality, the right type of games to play and I have a lot of confidence in the team and the manager.

During your time at Liverpool, who had a major impact on you as a player?

The staff at Liverpool during my time were excellent. The likes of Roy Evans, who was the manager at that time, Kenny Dalglish, they had a real positive impact on me. Ronnie Moran – who was sadly buried on Thursday afternoon, he had a huge impact on most of the people involved in Liverpool.

You’ve got people like them who’ve won trophies, European cups, they have an impact on your life and the type of football player you want to be.

How would you describe your relationship with Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez during your time there?

I didn’t really know him personally. I knew him as the President of Real Madrid, I didn’t interact with him many times. We just saw him during games, after games or if we won trophies. When I first arrived there, we had a different President, Lorenzo Sanz. Florentino took over and changed things around.

Even he’s admitted that the first time he was president, as much as it was successful, he didn’t do everything properly. I think he had a bit of a flawed business model. But now he’s completely changed the way he sees the game. The way he runs the club now is very different compared to when I was there.

Does Perez control the transfer decisions at Real Madrid or does the manager have a say too?

I would hope Zinedine Zidane has a say in it. I think the President and the Sporting director do play a big part. But I certainly hope that Zizou has a say in what type of player they wish to bring into the team. They’re always interested in exciting, attacking players because that’s what the crowds want to see. You need those type of players.

How did you settle down in Real Madrid with so many high-profile players around you?

The Englishman played for Real Madrid between 1999 and 2003

It was a huge learning curve for me because when I went to Madrid, I didn’t know the language. I had to learn Spanish very quickly. I went from being a big personality in Liverpool to virtually no personality at Madrid because I couldn’t speak Spanish. There were a couple of players who spoke English, they helped me. I had to socially go out with the players, show that I wanted to learn and show that I am a nice person.

How many signings are Liverpool away from aiming for the title?

It’s a never-ending question because it depends if they want to challenge for the title, or they want to challenge for the Champions League, which is important to be in. If you wish to challenge for all kinds of trophies, you need a big squad. The best squads in Europe are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich.

They have a huge number of internationals, experience. Liverpool certainly need to invest in the summer in players with experience. I think it’s important as well to bring in younger players from the academy. Ideally, I would try and buy a couple of wide men, they certainly need some defenders as well.

If there’s any player better than they have in any position, it’s vital to try and bring them in. The manager and Michael Edwards (Sporting Director) are working hard to pinpoint some players for next season.

Can you talk a bit about your socialising sessions in your early days at Real Madrid?

I personally felt it was very important to go out. When the team says, we’re going out for a meal, even though I couldn’t understand a lot of the players, I still felt it was very important for me to be there, to try and socialise. To show that I wanted to be friends with everybody, to show that I was willing to adapt and enjoy the Spanish life.

Standing up and singing a silly song, that happens in most professions around the world. They were really happy times. There were usually the captains, Manolo Sanchis, Fernando Hierro, the Spanish boys - Iván Helguera and Míchel Salgado, joined. Roberto Carlos was a friend of mine. Christian Karembeu and Clarence Seedorf too, they spoke English. They really helped me out in the first couple of months.

What did you tell Gareth Bale before he arrived at Madrid?

McManaman came through the ranks at Liverpool

I spoke to him before he went and he was asking me about places to live. He likes to play golf, so I advised him on a few places. He was very good friends with Modric when he was at Tottenham, he helped him out too. I think I am going to see Gareth in a couple of weeks, I am going to Madrid soon. He’s been a big success since he arrived in Spain.

He’s got friends there – the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Modric. It’s very important to move into a house as quickly as possible, to try and live a normal life. It’s very difficult if you spend time in a hotel for 3-5 months. You have to integrate yourself as soon as you can. Gareth is a huge favourite with the Real Madrid fans now.

Do people in the UK talk about Indian football?

A little bit. We know that the most popular sport in cricket. In England, it’s football by a long long way. I think the big superstars in India are the cricketers, aren’t they? Indian football is not particularly talked about.

I know some English players have been across here. I know David James, Robert Pires, Anelka came across. Unless you have a player of that ilk who plays here, the English newspapers have got more things to comment on than the football in India.

You were extremely versatile as a player, is it an important trait in today’s times?

I think it’s very important to be able to play in a number of positions. The good players can do that. Milner has worked wonders as a left back, a very different position than the one he plays. He’s been a revelation, very dependable and he’s an absolute superstar as a professional footballer. The best players can always play in a number of positions.

Finally, your thoughts on Jürgen Klopp’s spell at Liverpool?

I think for the 18 months he’s been here, he’s been excellent. The fans really appreciate him, they enjoy his style of play. He has changed the way Liverpool play, they do press the ball high up the field. He did that at Dortmund too.

To be honest, we’re all waiting to see where Liverpool finish this year and then we will decide whether it’s been a success or not. Whether we need 10 new players or 2 new players. We’re all hoping that Liverpool get into the Champions League, that’s where we want to see them play.