Harry Watkinson
Last Chance Saloon for Steven Gerrard?
Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard is currently the 1/6 favourite to be the next Premier League manager to be sacked, but what has gone so wrong for the former Liverpool skipper?
This article breaks down the key reasons for the mounting pressure on Gerrard, who is falling out of favour with the Villa Park faithful.
Could it be the end of the line for the Liverpool legend?
A Disappointing Record:
When Steven Gerrard was appointed as Villa manager there was a palpable optimism around the club: he was just coming off an unbeaten, title-winning season with Rangers and Villa chairman Nassef Sawiris had promised money for him to spend… roll on 11 months and Aston Villa currently sit 17th in the table with just two wins to their name in 10 games.
If you include last season’s statistics in the breakdown, it doesn’t look much better for Gerrard. In 37 matches overall, they have won just 12, have drawn eight and have lost 17, with a win percentage of just 32.43%.
Interestingly, this is the exact same record as Wolves and West Ham United in that time, while Brighton have the same number of wins. Looking at these club’s managers… Graham Potter left for Chelsea, David Moyes is beginning to feel pressure but his position in Europe seems to be buying him some time, and Bruno Lage was sacked by Wolves and they still remain in 18th place in the table. So, it’s difficult to predict what happens next for Gerrard.
Villa have conceded only 47 goals in those 37 games, which is roughly average for a Premier League side – not good enough to push for the top eight, but nowhere near poor enough to be in danger of relegation. What is worrying though is their goalscoring: Villa have scored just 45 goals in the same time, despite having proven scorers Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins at their disposal. If they fail to improve in this regard, they simply won’t win matches and Gerrard’s stint at Villa Park will almost certainly be over.
If we compare Gerrard’s record with the previous Villa manager Dean Smith’s, it makes for painful reading yet again. Smith was relieved of his duties after 134 matches in charge of the club, who, by comparison, had quite an impressive win percentage of 41.04%. Admittedly, he did take the helm when Villa was in the Championship, so his stats are bound to be better, but he ultimately helped them to winning the playoffs, so that is definitely something to be proud of.
Villa eventually sacked Smith last November after finding themselves 17th in the table, just two points above relegation. Now, almost exactly one year later, Villa are once again 17th and level on points with Wolves who are in the relegation zone. If Gerrard doesn’t start winning matches very quickly, his days are inevitably numbered.
Gerrard’s League Record:
Matches: 37
Wins: 12
Draws: 8
Losses: 17
Win percentage: 32.43%
Goals scored: 45
Goals conceded: 47
Transfer misspending:
Perhaps a bigger source of frustration for Villa fans has been Gerrard’s transfer business.
Since joining the club, the Liverpool legend has had a net spend of just £52 million, but the signings he has made have clearly failed to have the desired impact.
Brazilian centre-back Diego Carlos was Villa’s most expensive signing of the summer for £28 million, but so far, he has featured just twice for his new club after picking up a serious Achilles tendon injury.
Lucas Digne was signed by Gerrard in January to add some creativity to his team and to contribute more assists from wide areas, so far, he has managed just four assists in his 24 matches for Villa.
Phillipe Coutinho also joined the club for £18 million with hopes that he too could add some much-needed goals and assists for Villa, but so far in 30 appearances he has scored only five goals and made three assists. This season, the Brazilian attacking midfielder has contributed zero goal contributions in seven games.
Finally, Leander Dendoncker joined the club for £13.5 million in September to bring some defensive stability to Villa’s midfield. This season he has featured seven times but has started just 20% of their games despite being fully fit. This brings into question why Gerrard opted to sign the former Wolves man at all.
Villa’s next three matches are against Fulham (a), Brentford (h) and Newcastle (a), and you’d think that without a win in any of those fixtures… it will be game over for Stevie G.