Gerrard wore his regrets on his sleeve but a body language expert reckons there was more to it than what he said out loud
10:58, 07 Apr 2026
Steven Gerrard on the Stick to Football Podcast
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Steven Gerrard on the Stick to Football Podcast
Steven Gerrard was happy to admit he regrets the timing of his Rangers exit – but the real story lies in what he ISN'T saying.
That's according to body language expert Darren Stanton who reckons the former Ibrox boss is 'holding something back' about his move to Aston Villa.
The Liverpool legend has been in front of cameras and behind the microphone this past week with some of his most revealing admissions yet about his managerial career. He admits that given how his managerial career has gone since,he 'regrets' walking out for Aston Villa when he did back in 2018,
Having now relocated his family back in the UK after his stint with Al-Ettifaq took them out to Bahrain, he then revealed on talkSPORT he's 'readier than ever' to get back into management. But it's what he isn't saying that's of interest to Stanton.
Described as 'TV's human lie detector', the renowned body language expert watched his Stick to Football appearance and told OLBG: “Steven Gerrard carries a lot of regret in his face when he mentions leaving Rangers but I don’t think he regrets his decision to go to Aston Villa.
“We see signs that this is Gerrard speaking in damage limitation mode rather than being sincere. He has the expression you would see on a politician or another public figure who has got egg on their face after something high profile has gone against them.
“It obviously didn’t work out and when he’s discussing it, in hindsight, saying he probably should not have gone in at Villa, I don’t think he is being sincere, to be honest.
“We see what we call a tongue protrusion which is a physical manifestation of anxiety. He’s very unhappy discussing what happened at Aston Villa. In fact, he is still feeling quite under pressure from the experience even now.
“That tongue protrusion is a signal of insecurity. It’s a pacifying gesture. Something he is doing to sooth and reassure himself. We also see what is called lip suppression. He clearly wants to say more than he is allowing himself to.”
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Steven Gerrard
Gerrard was guarded when quizzed on speculation over Arne Slot's future at Anfield – and whether he'd be open to taking over from the under-fire Dutchman.
But Stanton reckons he gave away more with his body language than with his words.
He said: “Steven Gerrard is not being authentic and not being truthful when he’s asked about going in as Liverpool manager.
“I think he believes he can do a better job than Arne Slot is doing right now. He doesn’t want to go in as second fiddle to Slot or anyone else, I don’t think. I just don’t quite think he believes he is going to get the opportunity to be Liverpool manager at this rate.
“I don't think Gerrard has any doubts in terms of his own level of competency to be successful as Liverpool boss but I think he would want to go in and do it his way, with free reign to do as he sees fit.
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“There are a lot of hand-to-mouth gestures from him in this interview, touching his mouth, touching his eye, and these are all signals that he is feeling quite unsure when speaking about it all.
“We see some classic gestural slips too, which are the physical versions of a Freudian slip, when we say the very thing we are trying not to.
“He talks about believing the club, the manager and the players will all come back together but he’s shaking his head. It’s like saying yes but shaking your head to say no. It’s a nonverbal contradiction.”