Steven Gerrard’s appointment as Aston Villa manager last November was met with cautious optimism. The Liverpool captain had just led Rangers to an invincible season in the Scottish Premiership, lifting their first title in a decade and stopping archrivals Celtic from completing ten-in-a-row in the process. And, initially, it looked as though the fans were right to be optimistic. After four victories in his first seven games in charge – with defeats coming only at the hands of powerhouses Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City – it looked like the future was bright.
What a difference a few months make. The Villains could only manage two wins in their final three months of last season. That poor run of form left the club languishing in 14th at the end of the campaign. In fact, their run-in was so poor that they ended up ten points and three places worse off than how they finished the season before under Dean Smith.
Last season’s run-in was put firmly into the rearview mirror over the summer thanks to Villa’s transfer activity. Highly rated 22-year-old Boubacar Kamara arrived from Marseille on a free transfer. Philippe Coutinho – who shone brightly on loan from Barcelona last season – was signed permanently. Then, to the surprise of many, Diego Carlos – one of La Liga’s finest defenders – arrived from Sevilla. Optimism was once again the order of the day, and despite the club missing out on top target Luis Suarez – who ended up returning to boyhood club Nacional in Uruguay – fans were expectant of a top-half finish this season.
A tough start to the new campaign
Despite the plethora of new faces at Villa Park, the season couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start. Goals from Jefferson Lerma and Kieffer Moore ensured that the new term began with a loss whilst away at newly promoted Bournemouth. And let’s not forget that this is a Cherries team that has shipped 18 goals in their first six games – including a 4-0 reverse to Manchester City and a record-equalling 9-0 loss at Liverpool.
However, Villa looked to put that setback behind them in the second week of the new season. Strikes from Danny Ings and Emiliano Buendia sealed a 2-1 victory at home to Everton, and it looked like business was about to pick up. How wrong we were.
Three defeats on the bounce away at Crystal Palace, at home to West Ham, and away at Arsenal – a match in which they managed to equalise with just 15 minutes remaining, only to concede barely three minutes later – left the team teetering on the brink.
The last thing any team wants when they are in disarray is the arrival of Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s Blues have been dismantling all that has stood before them. Summer signing Erling Haaland has been scoring goals for fun – breaking the record for most goals scored in his first five Premier League games – and it looked as though the Villa defence would be put to the sword. When the giant Norwegian striker nodded home five minutes after halftime, it seemed like the visitors were well on their way to another three points.
Finally, though, the hosts showed some fight. 14 minutes after Haaland’s opener, they were level through Leon Bailey. And the result could have been better than 1-1 had a controversial VAR decision not ruled out a stunning Coutinho winner. But if you’d have offered Gerrard a point before kick-off, he’d have snapped your hand off.
What next?
With the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup taking place in the middle of the season, this year’s football calendar has never been more stacked. The huge demand on players this season will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, and it seems as though Gerrard noticed that on transfer deadline day. He brought in midfielder Leander Dendoncker from Wolves and centre-back Jan Bednarek from Southampton on the final day of the transfer window in an attempt to flesh out his squad.
And while the result against City may have eased the pressure on Steven Gerrard for now, his side are only outside of the relegation zone on goals scored. They have the same amount of points and goal difference as West Ham United. The Villains have some very winnable fixtures coming up, against the likes of Leicester City, Southampton, and Leeds United, and Gerrard must be aiming to pick up wins if he wishes to secure his immediate future.
