Although manager turnover is often an accepted part of modern football, for Aston Villa, following the sacking of Dean Smith, it’s vital that the club appoint the right man for the job first time around.
Otherwise, the Villans could find themselves on an out of control managerial merry-go-round.
Without a head coach ahead of the international break, the club’s hierarchy has a crucial task at hand — finding Smith’s successor.
As a result of the high demands of Villa supporters, there are few names that will satisfy the B6 faithful, but Steven Gerrard’s is the name that fits the bill the most.
Here’s a look at why compared to a couple of other names who were linked with the job.
Steven Gerrard
- The name emerging as the favourite is none other than Steven Gerrard, and it’s even thought he could be in place by the end of the week.
- Having won the Scottish Premiership undefeated with Rangers, the question is whether his domestic success will follow the Liverpudlian to Birmingham, and can transfer from Scotland to England.
With Gerrard, Villa will get a modern manager who plays a similar style of football to that seen under Smith.
A 64.5% win rate across all competitions, grinding results out to push further up the table looks like a task that the current Rangers boss can do if he were to switch from the Gers to the Villans.
The 41-year-old has got the best out of James Tavernier, with the attacking full-back scoring 19 goals and recording 16 assists in all competitions last year.
Seeing this can only make you think about the wonders Gerrard can work with the likes of Matt Targett and Matty Cash.
Other Candidates?
Paulo Fonseca
- Possession based football and a hard-working number ten. With Fonseca, it would be attacking football at it’s best and could have seen Emi Buendia finally being unleashed on the Premier League.
- His style would have relied heavily on Douglas Luiz and John McGinn being at their best week in, week out.
The former Roma boss has had a long list of jobs so far in his managerial career — grand total of 11, and the longest time spent at one club is only three years. Not the best sign if you’re Christian Purslow and Johan Lange.
On top of the queries about his longevity as a manager. It’s also a matter whether the Villans had the squad to play Fonseca’s style. You can see Gerrard adapting better to the players already at Villa’s disposal.
Lucien Favre
- Perhaps the most similar to their former boss — Favre is a keen advocate for promoting youth and offensive-minded football.
- The Swiss manager previously ended talks with fellow Premier League outfit, Crystal Palace, and might still desire a longer break from football as he waits for the right job.
Borussia Dortmund’s former manager was among the early favourites to replace Smith. What’s not to like? Favre plays an attractive style of football that the Villans could easily adapt to, but it wouldn’t necessarily have been a better fit than Gerrard.
Though it’s increasingly likely to be Gerrard, whoever is appointed will realise managing Villa is a job that comes with great demand from a dedicated fan base, and is not for the fait hearted — not dissimilar to Gerrard’s time at Rangers.
The pressure is piled on if results aren’t positive as seen with Smith, who had lost five matches in a row. And it’s a task which the hierarchy at the club will take the necessary time to make the right appointment.