Another week, another Premier League club in crisis.
And the crisis club of the week this week is a doozy. It’s a team that, despite spending a huge amount on attacking talent in the last few seasons, have only managed to score six goals in eight league games. A team that, despite having a strong squad on paper, currently play football that wouldn’t be out of place in the National League.
That’s right, this week’s crisis club of the week is Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa.
Here’s why:
What’s the crisis?
Villa fans were excited when Stevie G replaced Dean Smith following a hugely successful spell in Scotland with Rangers. However, 35 Premier League games in, it’s clear that there’s been absolutely no improvement in performances under the new manager.
Eight games into the 2022/23 season, Gerrard’s side have won just two matches and scored six goals, with their failure to break down a ten-man Leeds United side on Sunday being the biggest indictment of the team yet.
Aston Villa are now one of the least enjoyable teams to watch in the Premier League – along with Wolves, obviously. That’s bad.
Why are they in crisis?
There’s a wealth of talent in the current Aston Villa squad. Philippe Coutinho, Emi Buendia, Danny Ings, and John McGinn are just some of the really good players on the books at Villa Park.
The talent isn’t really the issue – it’s the management of it that is.
After nearly a year in charge, Gerrard still doesn’t know his best XI and hasn’t found a way to utilise his talented squad effectively. The lack of cohesion in the final third in particular is down to the manager’s inability to find the right blend of attacking players.
What can they do to rectify it?
If Gerrard doesn’t work out what his best team is soon, then the club need to find a manager who can.
As said previously, the squad is good and capable of challenging for UEFA Europa Conference League qualification, it’s about finding the right manager to lead them there.
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