Steven Gerrard could have just ‘TWO games to save his Aston Villa job’ after miserable run that has seen them suffer their worst Premier League start since they were last relegated
- Aston Villa suffered another Premier League defeat in 2-0 loss against Chelsea
- Pressure is piling on Steven Gerrard nearly one year on from his appointment
- Villa are 16th in the Premier League table and just one point off the bottom three
- Chief executive officer Christian Purslow looked concerned during latest loss
Steven Gerrard could reportedly only have two games to rescue his position as Aston Villa manager following one of their worst starts to a Premier League season.
Gerrard’s side slipped to another defeat at Villa Park on Sunday with Mason Mount scoring in either half to give Chelsea a 2-0 victory in the West Midlands.
The result leaves Villa in 16th place in the Premier League table with nine points from 10 matches and just one point above the bottom three as fears of another relegation battle loom.
Steven Gerrard’s side have struggled at the start of the Premier League season sitting in 16th
According to the BirminghamMail, the former Liverpool captain could have less than a week to save his job with two fixtures to show improvement, starting with the trip to Fulham on Thursday followed by a home fixture against Brentford on Sunday.
The statistics make grim reading though for Gerrard who has been in charge for 11 month since replacing predecessor Dean Smith.
Smith was sacked last November with Villa also sat in 16th place in the table and just two points away from relegation, meaning the omens do not look for Gerrard nearly a year on.
The Villa Park outfit have endured their second worst start to a Premier League campaign
Following defeat by Chelsea they are just a point clear of the bottom three in the table
In fact Villa’s start to the season is their second worst in Premier League history, only behind the disastrous 2015-16 campaign when they were relegated having picked up just four points at the same stage of the campaign.
Villa chief executive officer Christian Purslow looked far from pleased with Villa’s result as he looked on at Villa Park on Sunday, even if Gerrard’s outfit put in one of their better displays of the season for the first hour until Mount’s second goal effectively killed the game off for Graham Potter’s team.
There are other statistics that damn Gerrard’s Villa though.
Since his appointment, his side have lost eight Premier League games on home soil. No other side have lost more top flight matches at home in that period, while only Watford and Norwich City, who were both relegated last season, with 12 and nine respectively can report a worse record.
Villa chief executive officer Christian Purslow looked concerned during the latest defeat
In addition, Gerrard’s side have won just two of their last 18 games against sides currently in the Premier League – causing further alarm over their performance in the final month of action before the domestic break before the World Cup in Qatar.
Goals have been a huge concern too with just seven netted this season and only Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers scoring fewer with four.
Gerrard have been unlucky at times this season, not least on Sunday when his side missed crucial chances, struck the woodwork twice and were also kept out by the inspired goalkeeping of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Villa supporters though have also started to grow restless with the lack of progression under Gerrard, who also suffered tremendous bad luck over the summer when one of his key signings to bolster in his defence in Diego Carlos from Sevilla suffered a torn achilles following just his second game that looks set to rule him out for much of the season.
Villa have struggled to score goals this season and wasted more chances against Chelsea
There were jeers around Villa Park during and after the defeat and the 42-year-old former England international admits he knows he is feeling the heat and that he is focused on trying to improve his struggling side.
‘I’d be stupid not to be aware of where we’re at and accept that,’ Gerrard said in the press room. “Every time I have spoken I have fronted that up, I won’t hide from the criticism. I was aware of all the shouts which came from behind the bench but I don’t think all of them were directed at me from a personal point of view.
‘I heard a group singing from the Holte End, I’m aware of it all. I have to accept it and try to do everything I can to change the way they are feeling.’
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk