Steven Gerrard says Albion will face an “aggressive” Aston Villa in his first game in charge. But the new boss admits he is short of time in which to get his message across before they tackle the Seagulls. Gerrard has arrived in the West Midlands to succeed Dean Smith at the helm. But he will not have the full squad who will tackle Graham Potter’s side until late in the week.
Steven Gerrard said: “That’s the priority. The main thing everybody should focus on now is the Brighton game. We have very little time to prepare in terms of having the full group. Thankfully we have some players on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday that we can try and get a head start with and start getting some information over to them. Brighton will be a tough game. They are going well, they have got an exciting young manager and they are probably really satisfied with where they are right now. But it’s a game we will go into and be aggressive and we will be looking to take maximum points for sure.”
Albion picked up their first ever win at Villa Park with a 2-1 success behind closed doors last season. Saturday’s game is likely to be a very different proposition with a raucous atmosphere expected. The Seagulls led on their two visits before fans in recent seasons but came away with a draw and defeat. They will be looking for ways to exploit a Villa side who lost five in a row before sacking Dean Smith. Gerrard suggested there are defensive weaknesses.
Steven Gerrard said: “One thing I would like to improve on is the structure of the team from a defensive point of view. Out of possession, our distances, our shape and what we do to regain the ball. That is very important to me.”
