Steven Gerrard makes ‘frustrating’ Aston Villa admission about star players amid poor form
Aston Villa have struggled to find the back of the net this season and Steven Gerrard has pointed the finger at his “big players”.
Villa currently sit 16th in the Premier League after nine games, but Gerrard’s side are second bottom when it comes to scoring goals, with only Wolves worse off in that department.
The Villans have scored just seven times this season, and they’ve looked horrifically wasteful in recent matches against Leeds United and Nottingham Forest.
With pressure piling on Gerrard at Villa Park, the former Liverpool star has urged his experienced star players to step up.
“From an attacking point of view, we are getting to really good areas of the pitch,” said Gerrard, as quoted by Express & Star.
“Once we get that from the big players, the big names, I am sure we can move up the league.
“Had we got it at Nottingham Forest we would be talking about sitting ninth in the table. That is the frustrating thing.”
Time to step up
Aston Villa could really do with a promising run of results between now and the start of the World Cup break. It’d take pressure off Gerrard and restore some excitement around Villa Park after a rough couple of weeks.
However, the Villans will first have to get through a really difficult test against an in-form Chelsea side this weekend.
Graham Potter’s side look rejuvenated since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, and they’ll be looking for no less than three points on Sunday afternoon.
However, Villa should also take confidence from their recent results. While fans and pundits have bemoaned performances, the facts remain – Villa are unbeaten in four consecutive games.
That’s no coincidence. While the forward line has been blunt and wasteful, Villa are at least defending well as a unit. That’ll be crucial if they are to spring a surprise against Chelsea.
Gerrard found success in sitting back and counter-attacking Manchester City this season, and a similar performance could be in store this weekend.
However, as mentioned by Gerrard – Villa’s stars will need to make sure they take their chances as there won’t be many handed out by the Blues.
In other Aston Villa news, Alan Hutton says Leon Bailey’s agent should stay quiet after Aston Villa comments