Steven Gerrard has described Graham Potter's appointment at Chelsea as a "big moment" for British managers.
Potter and Gerrard are two of the seven British (permanent) managers currently employed by a Premier League club. Eddie Howe of Newcastle United, Frank Lampard of Everton, David Moyes of West Ham United, Steve Cooper of Nottingham Forest and Brendan Rodgers of Leicester City complete the list. Only four of them – Gerrard, Potter, Lampard and Howe – are English.
Gerrard, whose Aston Villa side host Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, has now been speaking about how impressed he's been with Potter following his appointment last month. However, the former Liverpool captain also warned Potter about the different pressure of managing Chelsea in comparison to his old club Brighton & Hove Albion.
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"It's a big moment for English and British managers for Graham to get that opportunity," Gerrard said to Sky Sports. "He's had to go through periods of trauma, learning periods where it's been tough, but he fronted it, he's come through that, he was given the time to do that.
"He's proven there are good coaches out there and that's what I want to prove here. I want to prove that I can move this team up the league. I want to prove we can compete in the top half of the league and that's the challenge that faces us right now.
"Credit to Graham, we wish him well outside of the Villa fixtures and we'll see how he does. That does bring different pressure when you come to places. With Brighton, with all due respect, it's different when you come to Chelsea because they want to be competing at the top of the league, competing in the Champions League and they should be coming to Villa Park and wiping the floor with us if we're talking about spending and the backing.
"The pressure is just as much on them as it is for us. It's game on, we're looking forward to it."
Potter was also asked about Gerrard in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, with the Chelsea head coach very supportive of the Villa boss, who has faced criticism this season. Villa are currently 16th in the table, with just two victories to their name after the first nine matches of the campaign.
"The margins are very small as we've said in the Premier League," Potter told reporters. "I'm sure Steven will want to improve the results and will be looking to this game to try and do that.
"Had they beaten Nottingham Forest they would have gone above Liverpool, so that shows you how quickly things can change. We have to make sure we're ready for the challenge.
"In the Premier League, there is always someone under pressure. At the moment it's Steven but he has the quality and experience and will come through it, I'm sure. So we have to make sure we're good ourselves and with the greatest respect, not worry too much about Aston Villa and concentrate on ourselves."
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