Gerrard’s early moves have Aston Villa dreaming big

The 41-year-old Liverpool legend has won hearts at Villa Park with his clear, forward-thinking approach as manager. With former Merseyside teammate Philippe Coutinho supplying the creative spark, the Birmingham club is keen to reposition itself up the table

About 10 days ago, Pep Guardiola cited Aston Villa as one of only five clubs Manchester City had come up against this season — Liverpool, Arsenal, Brighton and Leeds, the others — that had looked to play adventurous football. Coming from Guardiola, this was high praise. His City beat Villa 2-1 last December, but something about Steven Gerrard’s side appears to have impressed the Spanish tactician. Considering that it was only Gerrard’s third game in charge, Guardiola’s observation paints the former Liverpool captain’s managerial skills in even better light.

Villa had lost five straight Premier League matches and was just two points above the relegation zone when Gerrard left Scottish champion Rangers to replace Dean Smith, sacked as manager in November. The Birmingham club had struggled after selling captain Jack Grealish to City for £100 million — a British record fee — in the summer.

During Smith’s reign, a lot of Villa’s play had been reliant on Grealish’s talent and drive. From depending largely on one player, Smith tried to implement a new, more expansive approach without his star player, but it left the team more open — it had conceded the third-most goals in the 2021-22 season when Gerrard took over.

The 41-year-old inherited several challenges in his first coaching role in the Premier League, but has already made a difference. Immediately after his arrival at Villa Park, the club climbed from 16th to 10th, thanks to a run of four wins in six games, with narrow losses against City and Liverpool, the league’s best teams.

“We were close to taking a point out of the City game as well,” Gerrard said. “The Liverpool game was slightly different — they dominated for large parts. But I think we gave a good account of ourselves and made them extremely nervous in the latter stages.”

“I had confidence and belief that we could come in and have the impact that we’ve had,” said Gerrard, who brought several of his coaching staff with him from Glasgow giant Rangers.

“The players deserve the credit for going and carrying those performances out.” Although those performances were followed by a couple of dips in form, Villa has risen to ninth, seven points outside the top eight.