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A difficult challenge.
A club is urged to change managers mid-season when the pathway to their objectives seems steeper than initially anticipated. That is exactly what happened at Aston Villa when Dean Smith was sacked following a dull start to the season.
Former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard- an invincible in Scotland last season, was appointed in the Villa Park dugout. His task was clear- get a talented squad to click and improve on-pitch results.
Gerrard started off strongly but has tailed off since. Although the sample size is small, it's fair to say Gerrard is yet to find a winning formula.
Villa have won just 2 of their last 9 games- losing to relegation battlers Watford and Brentford during that time.
Villa under Gerrard have improved defensively but have struggled going forward. They have produced just 26.8xG after 25 games- fifth worst in the league. This is indicative of a lack in creativity and chance creation.
Although this can be attributed to the sale of Jack Grealish, big money signings Leon Bailey and Emi BuendΓa were meant to be able replacements.
Both Bailey and BuendΓa have failed to match Grealish's output. Although January signings Digne and Coutinho have started brightly, how much they can sustain their level of early performances is still a question.
The most notable attribute of Gerrard's Rangers team last season was their high pressing. That has somewhat dried up at Villa Park. Before Gerrard's appointment, Villa averaged 10.7 Passes Per Defensive Action- a metric used to determine the intensity of a team's pressing in their final third. That number has now increased to 13.3 PPDA. This explains why Villa haven't won possession back in dangerous areas and forced quick turnovers. In short, Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa have been more on the back foot in games than on the front.
Judging a manager based on such a small sample size can be harsh. The fans hope that their current form is just a blip. But if Gerrard can't turn things around until the end of the season, confidence in his ability to improve an expensively assembled talented squad will begin to wane.