A 2-0 loss at home to Chelsea in Premier League action at the weekend, coupled with a performance that rather lacked in all-round quality and excitement, has done a lot to pile the pressure on Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard.
With the Villans sitting 16th in the league standings after securing just two wins from their opening 10 matches this campaign, rumours that the former Liverpool midfielder and Rangers boss could be relieved of his Villa duties in the near future have picked up speed.
That’s seen former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino shorten in odds to be the man to succeed Gerrard at Villa Park.
But just how bad has Gerrard’s stint in the Midlands been, and is it justified that he’s the bookies’ favourite for the next Premier League manager to be sacked?
What is Steven Gerrard’s record at Aston Villa?
To this point, Steven Gerrard has taken charge of 37 Premier League matches as Aston Villa manager — almost an entire season’s worth — and overseen 12 wins, eight draws and 17 losses.
That record is identical to both West Ham and Wolves during that time, while Brighton & Hove Albion have also recorded the same amount of victories. Those three clubs have seen their managers from the majority of that stint suffer different fates: Graham Potter left Brighton for Chelsea, West Ham’s David Moyes has continued without undue pressure, and Bruno Lage was relieved of his duties by Wolves this month.
During that time, Villa have managed to record more wins than Leeds United, Everton and Southampton of all sides that have been in the league during both the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons.
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Interestingly, during Gerrard’s stint as Villa boss, his side have managed to score 45 goals but concede just 47. Those statistics are both middle of the road compared to other teams in the top flight.
That said, Villa’s lack of goals has been a particular problem this season, scoring just twice in the same match just once in 11 league attempts. In fact, they remain the second-lowest scorers in the English top flight, netting just seven times from an expected goals (xG) figure of 11.18.
What has also proven difficult to stomach for Villa fans has been their club’s difficulty to hold onto leads with Gerrard as manager.
Over the 37 league matches under his guidance, the Villans have lost 19 points from winning positions, a sizeable chunk that ranks them sixth-worst in that category among all Premier League sides to play in the top flight both this and last campaign.
However, perhaps surprisingly, Villa have won six away matches since Gerrard took over last November, more than most mid-to-lower-table sides in the division, including Leeds and Crystal Palace on four and Everton and Leicester on just two.
Steven Gerrard’s Premier League record with Villa
Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals Scored | Goals Conceded | Goal Difference |
37 | 12 | 8 | 17 | 45 | 47 | -2 |
How does Gerrard’s record compare to former Villa manager Dean Smith?
With just a 33.3 per cent win rate to his name across all competitions in charge of Aston Villa, Gerrard falls well below the cut in comparison to former manager Dean Smith, who held a 41.04 per cent win rate across 134 matches.
Smith did come into Villa management in October 2018 when his side were in the Championship, though given the club’s struggles prior to his arrival, Smith’s turnaround to transform them into a playoff-winning side can’t be understated.
Overall, Villa under Smith also scored more goals per match, averaging 1.57. Gerrard’s Villa have now slipped to averaging just 1.25 goals.
What is the biggest strength of Gerrard’s Villa side?
When looking across his 37 Premier League matches in charge, it’s definitely clear that Villa are quite solid defensively.
They have conceded 47 goals under Gerrard; over the same period, eight teams have either conceded the same or more, three of which have sacked managers during that time.
That’s a figure that was likely to be even lower, too, had newly acquired and highly rated Diego Carlos not suffered a major injury so early on in his Villa career.
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What are Villa’s biggest transfers under Gerrard?
In fairness, Gerrard hasn’t actually spent that much money on transfers as Villa manager compared to his predecessor at the club.
Shortly before Gerrard’s arrival, Villa under Smith spent over £100 million ($114 million) following the sale of captain Jack Grealish to Manchester City on players such as Emi Buendia, Danny Ings and Leon Bailey.
![Danny Ings Aston Villa Danny Ings Aston Villa](https://library.sportingnews.com/styles/crop_style_16_9_mobile_2x/s3/2022-07/di.jpg?itok=8zL-IJhm)
Meanwhile, Gerrard has overseen a net spend of £52m ($58.9m) according to figures from Transfermarkt, all while bringing in some big names including former Liverpool and Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho. His biggest transfer spend of £28m ($31.7m) on Diego Carlos also looked an inspired buy on paper until the defender sustained a lengthy injury just two matches into his Villa career, something that obviously won’t have helped Gerrard’s defensive set-up.
That said, Gerrard’s reign has been a clear case of not getting the best out of players who are definitely mid-table or better standard in the Premier League.
Steven Gerrard’s signings for Aston Villa
Player | Fee |
Diego Carlos | £28m/$31.7m |
Lucas Digne | £27m/$30.6m |
Philippe Coutinho | £18m/$20.4m |
Leander Dendoncker | £13.5m/$15.3m |
Robin Olsen | £3.15m/$3.6m |
Boubacar Kamara | Free |
Calum Chambers | Free |
Ludwig Augustinsson | Loan |
Jan Bednarek | Loan |