‘We were right’ – Richard Keys boasts about Aston Villa prediction
The post-Steven Gerrard era began in fine style for Aston Villa as they thumped four goals past Brentford on a scintillating Sunday (23 October).
Leon Bailey got the ball rolling in just three minutes before Danny Ings took control, scoring twice to put the game to bed after just 15 minutes.
Ollie Watkins then completed the scoring in the second half as Villa climbed away from the relegation zone with their first victory in five games and Richard Keys was boasting about his claim regarding Gerrard.
“We were right about Gerrard, weren’t we?” he said in his blog. “I was told last weekend that it was all over, which is why I couldn’t understand why he was in charge at Fulham.
“The message from the dressing room was very clear. Villa played with a freedom – and crucially width – as they swept away Gerrard’s era.
“I hope Steven learns from his first PL managerial experience and has another go – although I think he’ll have to take a club into the league for that to happen. I don’t think he’s going to get another PL job quickly.”
Excitement
One of the biggest problems under Gerrard was how safe the players were being when they had the ball. No winger ever took his man and instead chose to pass back to the full-back so he didn’t lose the ball.
That made it very easy to defend against Aston Villa hence why the only good performances came against sides who left space for a counter-attack by controlling the game themselves.
Gerrard was too focused on having possession that he almost forgot the most important statistic of them all… the goals column.
The shackles were well and truly released against the Bees and it not only saw players with a smile on their face but the entirety of Villa Park got into the game as well.
Too often under Gerrard, the crowd were almost against the team but whoever the new manager may be, they have to do everything they can to excite and entertain the crowd.
In other Aston Villa news, their search for a new head coach might be shackled somewhat with Financial Fair Play potentially causing a problem.