Thursday night’s 3-0 loss to Fulham leads to the sacking of Aston Villa Manager Steven Gerrard. Villa have won only 2 of 12 Premier League games this season.
The former Liverpool midfielder had been brought in to replace Dean Smith at Villa in November last year. Steven Gerrard’s appointment came with high expectations especially after boosting their squad with top-class players including Philippe Coutinho, Leander Dendoncker, Boubacar Kamara, Diego Carlos, and Robin Olsen.
Villa’s statement after the heavy loss read: “Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that head coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect. We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.”
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Treading on Thin ice
For weeks, Gerrard’s managerial position led to uneasy relationships with the Villa faithful. The traveling fans, at Craven Cottage, could be heard booing from the stands. Under Steven Gerrard, Aston Villa have won just 6 of their 11 league games this season.
17 months ago, Steven Gerrard enjoyed an unbeaten season at Scottish side Rangers FC but the Premier League has proven a tough nut to crack. Dismal performances by his ‘big hitters’ has also seen the manager appear frustrated in recent post-match interviews. After a recent 1-1 draw with struggling side, Nottingham Forest, Gerrard noted, “There is a lot of frustration there. I have challenged the forward players to give us more in that area of the pitch. We just need more quality from some of our big hitters.”
A 2-0 defeat to Chelsea followed then came his last match as Aston Villa manager- a 3-0 away loss to Fulham. So much went wrong on Thursday night that the defeat also saw Douglas Luiz red-carded for a headbutt.
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Are Former Players Good Managers?
Gerrard’s sacking points out that maybe the fascination with former players who have little to no top-level coaching experience getting big jobs ahead of more qualified coaches is coming to an end. Solskjaer, Lampard, and now Gerard have faced the axe. Compared to the likes of Graham Potter and Eddie Howe, the difference is compelling.
Aston Villa’s next Fixtures Before World Cup
Oct 23- Brentford (H)
Oct 29- Newcastle (A)
Nov 6- Manchester United (H)
Nov 10- Manchester United (A) – Carabao Cup third round
Nov 13- Brighton (A)
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