Steven Gerrard Manager
Steven Gerrard has dropped a huge hint involving a potential loan switch for Cameron Archer. The head coach previously stated that the 20-year-old would remain a first-team player for the season ahead but, with Archer playing just nine minutes of Villa’s first three Premier League fixtures, Gerrard has conceded that a loan move could well be in the offing as early as this week. Asked about Archer’s potential involvement against Bolton in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, Gerrard revealed that he’ll now ‘do the right thing’ for the England under-21 international, with Watford leading a long queue of clubs to take the Walsall ace on loan. Villa, of course, are expected to wrap up a £25 million deal for Hornets winger Ismaila Sarr this week.
Steven Gerrard said: “He’s doing very well. I’m talking really close to him at the moment about certain situations. I maybe could have put him on the pitch [vs Crystal Palace]. But we’ll do the right thing for Cameron in the short term. The window’s still open. He’s very much a part of what we’re trying to do here. He’s a massive talent and we love the kid but we’ll do the right thing by him in the coming days.”
Asked if Archer is pushing to be involved against Bolton on Tuesday,
Steven Gerrard added: “Very much so… But there’s also a chance that he might not be involved at all so I’ll leave you with that one!”
Previewing Villa’s trip to Bolton in midweek,
Steven Gerrard said: “Listen, everyone will want to play in this game. I’m sure they will, especially after the feeling of losing [vs Crystal Palace]. We’ll dust ourselves down from the result and we will be strong, we’ll pick a strong team. I think when the TV cameras come to games like this you know what the outside world are after… We need to respect that and protect ourselves from that. We need to bounce back from [Crystal Palace] and put ourselves into the next round. That’s the next challenge for the players and we’ll treat this game with serious importance. There will be changes, of course, because the game is close enough for us to try and freshen it up and energise the squad and the team. There won’t be wholesale changes and there won’t be, ‘Oh it’s the League Cup, let’s make all kinds of changes’. We’ll be strong.”
Steven Gerrard says the 5,200 Aston Villa supporters at Bolton proved just how important the Carabao Cup is this season. The head coach was pleased with his side’s victory after coming from behind to beat their League One opponents. Douglas Luiz, Danny Ings, Lucas Digne and Leon Bailey all scored in the 4-1 win to book Villa’s place in round three of a competition they’re looking to win. Speaking afterwards,
Steven Gerrard said: “Our fans have turned out today and have shown me and the players how they want to treat the cup as well. We’re all aligned on that and we want to go as far as we can. I’m trying to do the best things to win football matches. I’m trying to use the squad at the right times. I’m trying to play the people that deserve to play but it’s not my job to give minutes, it’s their job to earn minutes and to show me they deserve minutes and, if they do that, they’ll play.”
Ahead of West Ham, Gerrard wants to see a reaction off the back of their disappointing showing at Crystal Palace last weekend,
Steven Gerrard said: “That’s a huge game for us at the weekend and we can go into that with a bit more confidence and belief. We’re at home with our fans behind us and, if we manage to achieve what we want to achieve, it will settle a few things down.”
Elsewhere, Gerrard revealed that left-back Ludwig Augustinsson has an injury but Marvelous Nakamba and Morgan Sanson simply missed out being named in his 20-man squad against Bolton.
Steven Gerrard added: “Luda’s got a bit of a tweak in his knee but should be available for the weekend all being well. It’s not a serious one but there was no need to take a risk on that. Sanson and Nakamba are fine.”
Steven Gerrard admits his Aston Villa side ‘took a big step backwards’ following their second defeat from three this season after being downed by a Wilfried Zaha-inspired Crystal Palace. The head coach also stressed that prior to the September 1 transfer deadline he’ll work with Villa’s hierarchy to “give the players more support” as he looks to really kick on for the season ahead. On Villa’s 3-1 loss,
Steven Gerrard said: “I feel very similar to how I was feeling after Bournemouth, in all honesty. At the moment we’re taking steps forward and, too quickly, we’re taking steps back. The result today obviously is a frustrating one and tough to take. I thought we were in this game for large parts and we particularly started the game extremely well. We got ourselves in front and we scored a fantastic goal and we were on the attack again. We got the ball in their area, we turned it over then our organisation behind the ball was off and we conceded a goal too quickly. That changed the momentum at the time. Having said that, we got in at half-time at 1-1 at a tough place to come against a good team. We accepted that situation and then the second half kicks-off and there’s a big moment in the game, the penalty incident which went against us. Some say it’s the rules, it’s a stonewall pen but, for me, it’s harsh. I’m not sure what Lucas can do in that situation. He competes honestly for the ball and tries to jump naturally. It’s a complete accident. The referee gives the penalty against us and our reaction from that wasn’t good enough and then we concede a poor third goal and the game runs away from you. We could have scored with Leon who hit the bar at 2-1 which could have got us back in it. The moments went against us today and we have to accept that. Again, I feel like we’ve taken a big step forward last week and a big one backwards today. The challenge for me and this group of players is to find that level of consistency. That’s what I’ve said since I came in. We’re not there yet but we’ll keep striving for it.”
Pushed on whether he’s got enough in the door at Villa to improve on last season’s 14th-place finish,
Steven Gerrard added: “Look, the get out and the protection is to say there’s not enough in the building but I’ve got full belief with the players, myself and the staff that we can find this consistency. We had a huge setback last week in the heart of our defence which is well documented and, in the coming days, we’ll do everything we can in the coming days and hours to give the players more support because we want to move forward and we’re not satisfied with the inconsistency at the moment. We all need to pull together to find this consistency.”
Steven Gerrard has admitted Morgan Sanson is “frustrated” at his lack of game time. The Frenchman has failed to make the bench for Aston Villa’s two opening games this season against Bournemouth and Everton. Two weeks ago, the midfielder posted a rather cryptic Instagram message not long after Gerrard named his team on an opening day. Sanson, who was left out of the squad against Scott Parker’s Cherries,
Steven Gerrard said: “100% fit [tick] and ready for the team… [wink].” Despite a decent pre-season, though, the ex-Marseille man has fallen out of favour under Gerrard with his last competitive appearance in a Villa shirt coming in the defeat against Wolves way back at the beginning of April. Sanson, who cost £15 million in January 2021, has failed to feature in Villa’s last 10 Premier League matches.
When quizzed on Sanson’s future at the club, to which the head coach confirmed that should an offer come in prior to the transfer deadline then he and Villa will not stand in his way.
Steven Gerrard added: “Morgan’s been very professional, he’s been calm, he’s been training well but, at the same time, he’s frustrated with his game time. I respect that, I understand that so, if something lands for Morgan that he wants to pursue, we won’t stand in his way. At the same time, he’s training well and is pushing to be back in the frame.”
Prior to Villa jetting out to Australia in July, Gerrard confirmed via an in-house interview that he was still interested in further strengthening his midfield department despite the signing of Boubacar Kamara. Asked if that’s still the case with a No.8 particularly of interest,
Steven Gerrard replied: “We’re still analysing the three units in our system; forward line, the midfield line and, certainly now, from a defensive point of view [given Diego Carlos injury]. We were really set in that [defensive] department but, obviously, we’re deciding and are talking now about whether we should do something there.”
Gerrard has also opened up about another player desperate for regular game time, Kortney Hause, with the centre-back extensively linked with a loan switch to Watford following his return from a knee injury.
Steven Gerrard said: “[Adding a new centre-back] is certainly a possibility and it’s something we’re analysing. And the reason we’re analysing it is because of Kortney’s situation and we want to be respectful to him. He’s made it quite clear he would like to go out and play regular football. All these things are on the table and up for discussions. But we’ll do what’s right for Aston Villa and I’ll make decisions from there. I want to try and make players happy and to try to be respectful to every individual. The priority is to make the squad as strong as we possibly can moving forward. If that means making an addition and the right person is available and the deal makes sense for Aston Villa we’ll have no qualms in executing that. At the same time there’s a few spinning plates and moving pieces in the next coming days while the window is still open.”
Pushed on any imminent exits at Villa given those that aren’t in Villa’s plans at present – Bertrand Traore, Frederic Guilbert, Anwar El Ghazi and Sanson –
Steven Gerrard signed off by saying: “There’s a few things brewing in the background and a few plates spinning. We’re close on one or two different things but I can’t say where and who. At the same time, I don’t want to say nothing’s going to happen then you see something break in the next couple of days so I’ll sit on the fence!”
