Yes, it is definitely too early for Steven Gerrard to replace Jurgen Klopp

It's a funny old situation Liverpool find themselves in.

Over the past five years, they've risen from mediocrity to the pinnacle of English, European and world football. But before any of us had a chance to properly process it, they've brought us crashing back to earth with a bang.

Thursday's defeat to Chelsea was the latest nail in the coffin of a season that is fast becoming a write-off. And while the level heads among us will still take a lot of convincing before we're #KloppOut, it is no longer unreasonable to be thinking - just thinking - about a change.

Their dreadful form since December is no minor blip. It's cause for genuine alarm. They've lost eight of their last 16 matches, and for the first time in Liverpool history, they've lost each of their last five at Anfield.

Whichever way you slice it, Klopp's position is not as secure as it was towards the end of 2020. If the downward trend continues like this between now and the summer, the board will be considering their managerial options.

Well, option. Because in the minds of many, there is only one contender.

While Liverpool stumble through one of the worst title defences of the Premier League era, a couple of hundred miles north, there is a Scouser making history for the right reasons. At the time of writing, Steven Gerrard's Rangers are four points away from officially ending Celtic's Ten in a Row ambitions, and winning the Scottish Premiership for the first time since 2011.

His tenure in Glasgow has been underpinned with a knowledge and understanding that, if things go as planned, he will eventually return to Anfield. Rangers know it and Liverpool know it: it's no coincidence that Gerrard signed a new contract until 2024...on the same day Klopp signed a new contract until 2024.

If that's the eventual plan, though, it taken on some urgency over the past few months. With Liverpool's form breeding speculation over Klopp's immediate future, talk has already begun over whether Gerrard is ready to replace him in the summer.

But is it too soon for the glorious Anfield return everyone is waiting for?

Obvious connections aside, there is plenty about Gerrard the manager that suggests he is a good fit for the Liverpool hotseat. He has handled the pressure at Rangers admirably, enduring a rough patch that had him on the verge of the sack early last year to build something genuinely special.

It hasn't been an overnight success story: it has been a successful long-term project that mirrors what Klopp has undertaken since arriving on Merseyside in 2015.

He has made mistakes, but has never been too stubborn to learn from them, and if Liverpool were to show him the same patience that Rangers have - they would, let's face it, he's a club legend - there is every reason to think he would get it right.

Looking at things objectively, though, there is no hiding from the reality that the only reason Steven Gerrard is being considered...is because he's Steven Gerrard.

One league title at Ibrox, as impressive an accomplishment as that has been under the circumstances, would not be enough for anyone else to figure in.

Retaining the title is the hard bit, as Liverpool are learning this season, so they would want to see sustained success. With that in mind, is it really fair on Gerrard to judge him on his name and not his merit?

It runs the risk of falling into the Lampard trap, and while that may be a gamble Liverpool are willing to take, it is worth remembering that FSG have so far swerved emotional, knee-jerk decision-making at all costs, and have four major trophies in the cabinet to show for it.

All going to plan, Gerrard is going to be Liverpool manager eventually. But that inevitability doesn't mean it should be rushed through.

If anything, it provides a security to wait until the time is absolutely right. And that may not be any time soon, even if the Klopp era does end prematurely.