Steven Gerrard reduced the disappointed figure after the close defeat of Aston Villa with 2-1 from Liverpool last night, knowing that the Quadruple Red Chasers of Jurgen Klopp are there to take. Douglas Lewis set Villa up in flight three minutes before the hosts were immediately brought back by Joel Matip through a suspected defenseman, while in less than half an hour Sadio Mane scored his ninth goal in his 10 games against Villa to win it for the FA Cup and Champions League finalists.
Gerard, 41, described how his team “never held the lead long enough” and “when the big moments came, we didn’t grab them.” Villa had a good chance to bring Liverpool back through Olli Watkins and Danny Ings, but both failed to maintain their recent results. Here, Villa writer Ashley Price chooses her points to talk to Crystal Palace next Sunday (May 15, 2 p.m.).
VIEW IN GERARD’S VILLA
“We were ambitious tonight; we were brave, brave and we faced one of the best teams in the world “, Gerard says in the media hall. “They have world-class players and have been together for a long, long time. It was a huge challenge, a huge challenge and a great demand for my players, but they were not disappointed. I’m extremely proud of what they brought to the game. “
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The high-octane and relentless game we have witnessed is exactly what Gerard wants to build and see more in Villa Park. The game’s plan was, as the boss put it, “to get around their back four, to play sideways and again” and to push and force Liverpool to make mistakes. Fabinho, for example, struggled in the beginning – and Alison also scored. Gerard really wanted his country to attack Klopp’s men last night – and they did just that.
GREAT FACILITATION OF NAKAMBA
The friendly Zimbabwean – in his first start in the Premier League since the beginning of December – asked to be fired after “running out of steam”. Gerard’s change, the election of Carney Chukwuemeka and the return of Douglas Lewis as number six really hurt Villa with the winner of Manet – noted just three minutes after this change – probably would not have happened if Nakamba was on the field.
“The big disappointment was that the Wonderful Nakamba could not continue because he wanted to be changed,” Gerard later revealed. “We knew that at some point it would run out and Douglas came in the middle and obviously the ball was stolen from him. Maybe with Marv this may not have happened, but look, it is and we need to take care of Marv and his body. This is the most important thing. We are disappointed with the two goals we conceded. “
It was Chukwuemeka’s short pass to Douglas, which Liverpool jumped for the winner, while for the first it was another gift, as Tyrone Mings failed to clear the original ball. How many times have we said this season that Villa just gave the opposition a goal or two? This is something Gerard wants to eradicate.
He added: “We have to try to cut out some individual moments that really hurt the team against the big teams.” Villa’s record against the current top five, if you didn’t know, is nine defeats out of nine played. Hmm.
‘I’M TRYING’
Strong reports from Barcelona appeared before the start yesterday, outlining how the Catalans have struck a € 20 million (£ 17 million) deal with Villa to land Philippe Coutinho at the end of the season. Gerard was asked about this development and replied: “No. [update] at the moment, but I will repeat that I have an extremely strong desire to keep him here permanently. I know we all agree at the club to try to do that, but in terms of the update, I have no answer for you, but we are trying. “
Meanwhile, the head coach is increasingly tired of the questions of Coutinho-Amy Buendía, which continue to arise, knowing that at the moment it is one thing or another to play as the absolute number 10 at Villa behind Watkins and Ings. Last weekend Buendía shone with a goal and an assist in Burnley – only to drop out for the Brazilian Coutinho last night.
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“If I decide to go with one number 10, it will be one or the other,” Gerard said. “I showed that sometimes we play with two No.10, sometimes one No.10 and one a little wider. I want this diversity and I want this unpredictability in the front players. I admire both of them, I’m happy to have them both. I hope to have them for longer. They are two exceptional talents. “
Gerard praised Buendía’s “fantastic little cameo” against Liverpool, with the Argentine enjoying more touch (21) than Watkins (19). It will now be fascinating who will receive the prize against rivals in the top 10 of Crystal Palace on Sunday.
KARNI’S STATE IS CLEAR AGAIN
Carni Chukwuemeka during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Liverpool in Villa Park
Remaining with the best talents for the second consecutive match, Chukwuemeka was Gerard’s first choice from the bench. The 18-year-old footballer is no closer to signing new conditions, but again Gerard entrusted the English star under 19 to face those with Champions League and international experience.
Birmingham live Gerard asked about Carney’s situation, and the head coach spoke well of the FA Youth Cup winner once again: “We hope he will be a great player for Aston Villa. We want him to stay here for a long time. We believe this is the right place for Carney, and again the staff and I have shown great confidence in placing an 18-year-old, but we would not have done so if we did not think he was not ready or did not have the ability to cope.
“It was a good experience (against Liverpool) and training for him when he was on the field with such high quality. So, yes, I hope the situation develops in a positive way. He was fantastic in training and I have said many times that if these young children compete and deserve to go out on the field before the older ones, I will upload them! “
Chukwuemeka, who made a promise against the Reds, was close to Ings’ rebound, but Alison’s rescue simply escaped him as Villa chased for a tie.
TOP-10 TO PLAY
These are consecutive home games with only four days difference against Palace (May 15) and Burnley (May 19), before the end of the Etihad season. The top 10 carrot is still there for Villa, knowing they are only a point away from Patrick Vieira’s Eagles in tenth place.
Gerard was asked how good his villa could be with a little fine-tuning, and his answer was correct: “[Liverpool performance] showed exactly where we are. There are huge signs of progress. Many positives, but when we face these countries, it is the moments that hurt us. But I will leave in a positive place, because there have been great signs of progress, and I think you can see very clearly where we want to take this. “
With a scattering of experience and the highest quality at the elite level, added to Gerard’s group in the summer, next season certainly promises good.
JOHN MOS’S HORROR SHOW
Finally, the last word is on one of the worst refereeing events in recent memory at Villa Park. John Moss lost control after about the 10-minute mark and continued to make wrong decisions. Liverpool were the big beneficiaries – and this rightly angered Gerard, his players and the loyalists of Villa Park. It was just wrong and, fortunately, it was Moss’s last game, knowing he was ready to retire at the end of the season. When told about Moss’s impending retirement, Gerard smiled, “Okay!” Meanwhile, Villa is expected to file a formal complaint with the FA over the level of Moss’s refereeing last night.
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