Pressure on Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa over identity and defence

A lack of identity, a struggling defence and no sign of improvement mean the pressure is building on Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa with his record now WORSE than Gary Neville’s at Valencia

  • Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa need to enforce improvements across the board 
  • The team has struggled defensively, with no clean sheets, and conceding six 
  • Things may get tougher, with Villa playing Arsenal and Man City back-to-back
  • But first they have today’s crucial match against fellow strugglers West Ham 
  • Gerrard’s win ratio at Villa Park is now lower than Gary Neville’s was at Valencia 

After his first pre-season as Aston Villa manager, Steven Gerrard would have felt confident about imposing his stamp on the team. Based on the opening results, there’s no way this is what he meant.

Villa have now won just three of their last 14 games – and two of those were against relegated sides Norwich and Burnley.

The run has taken the Liverpool legend’s win ratio below that of Gary Neville’s during his widely-panned stint in charge at Valencia. Neville’s win ratio in Spain was 35.71%, but Gerrard’s at Villa Park has dropped to 35.48% after their 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa side need to fix their defensive issues amid a tough run of fixtures

Gerrard cost Villa £4million in compensation to Rangers when they acquired him as head coach on November 11 last year, succeeding the dismissal of Dean Smith.

And Villa have spent £136m on new signings since the Scouser’s arrival – but results at the end of last season, and the beginning of this one, have not gone down well with fans.

Opening this campaign with two losses, and a scrappy 2-1 win away at struggling Everton, Villa fans are concerned that they might be set up to struggle throughout the whole season. Today they host fellow strugglers West Ham, and a home defeat would only add to the pressure.

So where have Villa gone wrong – and can anything be done to avert this poor run of form and stop it from becoming a full-blown crisis?

Gerrard’s win ratio has dropped below that of Gary Neville’s in his time as Valencia manager

UNDERWHELMING START TO THE SEASO

However, Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park felt like a step back for Gerrard’s team. Palace looked sharper and hungrier, and Villa couldn’t recover after feeling aggreived when a penalty shout was waved away.

Villa’s opening defeat at AFC Bournemouth was a blow for Gerrard’s side, although they appeared to be back on winning ways after a 2-1 win at Goodison Park on August 13.

However, last Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park felt like a step back for Gerrard’s team. Palace looked sharper and hungrier, and Villa couldn’t recover after feeling aggreived when a penalty shout was waved away.

Villa fans have been vocal in stating that the state of affairs has not been good enough, giving away their fifth minute lead against Palace just two minutes later.

Villa had the resilience to fight off Everton’s late charge for an equaliser, but that determination ebbed away when they were at Selhurst Park.

The team would think of themselves as ambitious – hence the big expenditure on new players – but just three points from these three fixtures has not got the Villains off to the right start.

Villa’s defence faced 17 shots away to Crystal Palace on Saturday amid their defensive issues 

WEAK DEFENCE

Villa faced 17 shots against Palace, an onslaught which was only seen last season when they faced Manchester City or Liverpool.

The defence has struggled, with no clean sheets, and six goals conceded. They would have kept Everton at bay if it wasn’t for an own goal from Lucas Digne.

Vice-captain Diego Carlos was set to form part of Villa’s new-look backline, but the Brazilian ruptured his achilles tendon in the Everton game, only his second appearance after a £26m move from Sevilla.

With the return of Carlos uncertain, the side need to fix their defensive frailties, or they will struggle if they come up against teams with a deadly strike rate.

Gerrard has had a different centre-back pairing in each league game so far, and that lack of consistency is not boding well for the upcoming games.

Meanwhile, full backs Digne and Matty Cash were often found lost between attack and defence at Selhurst Park.

When Palace got past Villa’s midfield, captain John McGinn made tactical fouls to stop counter attacks.

But Villa do not have a great record at defending set pieces, so that option is best used on a limited basis.

New captain John McGinn has had to make tactical fouls to stop teams from counter attacking

STRUGGLING TO FIND AN IDENTITY

Their defensive issues are just one of the problems though. Villa have to focus, and find their real identity, which appears to be lacking in their performances so far.

McGinn took over the armband in a controversial move by Gerrard, and some fans have been concerned that the pressure may have had a knock-on impact on the Scot’s performances.

Former captain Tyrone Mings continues to play, despite knowing that he is unfancied by the former England captain, and fans are concerned it could be an ongoing problem throughout the season.

Gerrard continues to look for Villa’s best starting 11, and the formation in which they should use – chopping and changing the backline is part of the problem, but its not the only thing.

Villa have had more possession in two of their games this season, and limited Crystal Palace to just 51% of the ball on Saturday, but its not helped them to craft an identity of their own.

It leads to questions about getting the club to reorganise – but this kind of thing should have been done in pre-season, not in the middle of a frantic run of fixtures.

Another issue may have emerged with the departure of Michael Beale. Gerrard’s long-time assistant, first at Rangers, then at Villa Park, 41-year-old Beale left to take up the manager post at Championship QPR in the summer.

And the more recent results have suggested that something is missing – something, perhaps, that Beale might have been adding to Gerrard’s managerial style.

Michael Beale, Gerrard’s right-hand man, left Villa to become manager at Championship QPR

MORE SIGNINGS

Despite the £136m splashed out on players so far, it is evident that it is not enough, and the club are in need of another midfielder.

Their current midfield is struggling to fight, either in an aggressive sense, or in aerial battles during set pieces. If they can’t resolve this in house, it means spending yet more money.

They are also struggling to get deals over the line. Despite agreeing a fee with Watford, Ismaila Sarr’s move from Vicarage Road to Villa Park fell through on Monday after a disgareement of personal terms.

Villa may also see more departures before the transfer window closes on September 1, with defender Kortney Hause potentially going to Watford on loan, despite the collapse of the Sarr deal.

New signings would probably help, but they also need to fix problems with the squad they have – and quickly, before a full-blown crisis emerges at Villa Park.

Ismaila Sarr’s proposed £25m move from Watford to Aston Villa collapsed on personal terms

POOR FIXTURES ON THE HORIZON

There will likely be a raft of changes for Gerrard’s team for their Tuesday night League Cup match at League One Bolton Wanderers, before returning to Premier League action on Sunday.

West Ham have gained no points so far this season, and David Moyes’ side will be even more keen to kickstart their league campaign at Villa Park in the claret-and-blue derby.

Even if the Hammers could prove to be a winnable fixture at the moment, the following week sees Gerrard’s team tasked with back-to-back fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester City.

On Wednesday next week, they visit an in-form Gunners at the Emirates, before hosting City in the league’s Saturday evening match on September 3.

There is limited cause for optimism for Villa fans, with their defence not ideally suited to come up against free-scoring players like Gabriel Jesus or Erling Haaland.

While Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City are also going through a tough time at the moment, playing them a week after hosting the Citizens is not going to be an easy match-up for Gerrard’s men.

The onus is now on Gerrard to match his impressive achievements as a player in the manager’s dugout. Can he turn it around, or will he prove himself to be another name on the list of successful players who couldn’t hack it in Premier League management?

Gerrard is taking his unfinished Villa side into fixtures against West Ham, Arsenal and Man City




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