Liverpool will be hosted by a familiar face tonight. The Reds make the trip to the Midlands, with Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa attempting to end their title hopes.
The ex-Liverpool captain has been in charge of the claret and blue outfit since November 2021. His record hasn’t been perfect at his new club, but his team look set to provide a stern test.
Gerrard has won 10 and lost 10 of his 23 matches in the Premier League, drawing the other three. The 41 year-old hasn’t yet established true consistency, but he’s putting the necessary building blocks in place.
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The Reds legend has appeared frustrated on several occasions so far. As of yet, his players haven’t been able to showcase the consistent form that he was known for during his playing career at Anfield.
He described Villa as a ‘45-minute team’ recently after his side lost against Wolves, while also stating that if his current group of players can’t meet the required standards, they will be replaced in the transfer market.
Despite his relatively ruthless comments, Gerrard seems to be on the right track at Villa and his words capture his lofty ambitions. For the most part, he’s settled upon one favoured system in 4-3-2-1, which can almost look like a Christmas tree formation and incorporates two no.10s as well as a high-flying full-back pairing in Lucas Digne and Matty Cash.
Of his offensive players in that shape, Gerrard has regularly deployed three of Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins, Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Philippe Coutinho.
The latter was rested in Villa’s last match. He could be fresh to face his former employers midweek, although each of Ings, Watkins and Buendia scored against Burnley in his absence, which could keep him on the bench.
Gerrard has talked about being ‘adaptable’ on several occasions when speaking about the identity of his team.
Unlike his Rangers side in Scotland, Villa won’t dominate the ball every week in England. They must master the art of changing their approach depending on their opponents.
Pep Lijnders, Jurgen Klopp’s assistant, has referenced the value of similar qualities on Merseyside, stating that Liverpool must be able to use different ‘flight plans’ depending on who they are facing.
Villa have proved to be a compact group under Gerrard. They focus on blocking the middle of the field in particular, which can often result in opponents hitting plenty of crosses from the flanks against them.
Liverpool mustered a total of 47 crosses according to Match of the Day when they last played on Sunday night - which was their most in a single game all season - and Villa will encourage Klopp’s men to do the same again on Tuesday.
Antonio Conte's side prevented the Reds from generating many clear-cut opportunities and his defenders welcomed crosses into the penalty box for the most part. Liverpool must not fall for the same crossing trap against Villa.
Ultimately, Klopp's upcoming opponents are difficult to predict. They are capable of competing against the very best when on form, but also seem prone to not turning up for one reason or another.
Gerrard is striving to change their capricious nature as he looks to prove his managerial credentials to those who might eventually hire him at Anfield, but the unpredictability of his current side is almost what makes them most dangerous.
