Moments after the former Liverpool midfielder had declared that he was a ‘fighter’, vowing to persevere as manager of the Midlands club, the Villa board made the decision to sack Gerrard, a call that seemed inevitable after just two wins in eleven matches, and no away win all season.
Gerrard’s managerial career had started superbly after his illustrious playing career, with a successful introduction to management in the Liverpool academy before leading Scottish club, Rangers, to their first Scottish Premiership title win in ten years during the 2020-2021 season. Gerrard’s passion on the touchline and footballing reputation immediately endeared him to the Rangers fans and the two parties developed a connection that was abruptly ended in November 2021, when Aston Villa came calling, having sacked their long-term manager, Dean Smith.
Gerrard’s reign began with a 2-0 victory at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, the beginning of a run that saw Villa only taste defeat against Liverpool and Manchester City; picking up four victories in between those games before the turn of the year. Gerrard’s reputation seemed to play a major role in recruitment, too, with former Liverpool teammate and world star, Phillipe Coutinho joining Aston Villa from Barcelona and Lucas Digne significantly upgrading the left-back position in the January window. However, the new manager bounce that is so often seen at the top level faded into sentimental memory for Villa fans as their team’s season fizzled out into a mediocre mid-table finish, in which 14th place seemed an underachievement given the quality of the squad.
What followed was a seemingly successful transfer window, in which sixty million pounds was spent on players in the summer. This, though, turned out to be the killer blow for Gerrard as he was unable to repay the owner’s financial backing with results, whilst also taking the decision to drop his captain, Tyrone Mings, due to a poor patch of form, before eventually stripping the England defender completely of the captaincy role. The impatience of a fan base, that expected a potential European challenge at the start of the season, quickly accelerated into serious pressure as Villa recorded just two wins and three away goals in their first eleven matches. Then came the killer blow for Gerrard. A dismal showing away at newly promoted club, Fulham, saw the travelling fans turn against their manager with ‘sacked in the morning’ chants being performed from all corners of Craven Cottage.
The morning, as the chant suggested, never arrived for Gerrard though, as the Aston Villa chairman, Nassef Sawiris, sacked Gerrard that very evening. Whilst the specific timing of the decision somewhat surprised journalists and fans, the overall decision did not come as a shock as the former Liverpool legend simply did not create an identity nor get the best out of what was an extremely capable squad throughout his time in charge. Since the sacking, Aston Villa have appointed former Arsenal manager, Unai Emery as their new head coach, poaching him from Spanish club, Villarreal. Emery’s pedigree as a manager is undoubtedly excellent and the Spaniard will feel he has unfinished business in the Premier League after his positive start at Arsenal diminished into a sour ending.
As for Gerrard, the predicted pathway of taking Aston Villa to the top half of the Premier League, before taking over from Jurgen Klopp as manager of Liverpool now looks increasingly unlikely and more a romantic return that would surely be out of sentiment rather than sense. The former midfielder will need to go again and regain his confidence at the lower levels before returning to the top-flight it seems; but football is a turbulent game and Steven Gerrard’s next destination in his managerial career can certainly not be foreseen.