Time running out for Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa
Steven Gerrard could soon find himself out of a job if Aston Villa don’t take maximum points at Fulham on Thursday evening.
A 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Villa Park on Sunday have Villa on nine points from their opening 10 games as pressure on Gerrard mounts.
Progress toward the club’s goal of European qualification has not only been stunted since Gerrard arrived, but all signs point to Villa being dragged into a relegation fight if worrying trends continue.
Outside of the 2015-16 season–which saw the club relegated–Villa are having their worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign.
Villa have only five wins in their last 22 PL matches, and since Gerrard was appointed Villa manager in November of 2021, only Watford and Norwich City–both relegated last season–have lost more matches at home.
Chelsea performance unlikely to save Gerrard
Despite losing 2-0 to Chelsea on Sunday, Villa looked bright and got the better of the Blues through the opening hour of play.
Jacob Ramsey and Danny Ings had golden opportunities to score but failed to convert. After Emi Martinez misjudged a Mason Mount free kick in the 65th minute, a deflated Villa folded like a cheap tent and accepted the two-goal defeat.
Villa objectively had their best overall performance in weeks, but after months of regressive tactics, Gerrard’s attackers are low on confidence and lack critical sharpness in the final third.
The players shoulder much of the blame for Sunday’s defeat, but Gerrard has so obviously created a toxic environment at Villa Park and is simply not getting the best out any members of his squad.
Villa board has perhaps already moved on
Looking ahead to Villa’s next two fixtures–away to Fulham and home to Brentford–its obvious Gerrard needs at least four points to keep his job.
But if reports on Monday are believed, Villa’s board is already seeking his replacement.
According to The Telegraph’s Matt Law, the club are prepared to “move heaven and earth” to try and lure former PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino to Birmingham.
If efforts to recruit Prochettino fail, the board could explore Thomas Tuchel and Unai Emery as managerial options.
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