Steven Gerrard could bristle with purpose as a player. A straight talker, he does as a manager, too. “This club cannot finish 14th again,” he said before, technically, Aston Villa actually had finished 14th. No sooner had they done so then he set about ensuring they won’t again.
The season concluded for his former club with Gerrard on punditry duty as Liverpool lost the Champions League final. He could argue he was entitled to his weekend in Paris, and not merely because his playing days equipped him to comment on such occasions. Villa’s summer business had begun with such speed that Gerrard already had two upgrades tied up, as well as his flagship signing secured on a long-term basis. Much of what he does has the feel of a statement of ambition, and if recruiting Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona was the most high profile example, that was expected. The additions of Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos are more revealing now.
