Aston Villa journalist Dan Rolinson has been discussing Aston Villa’s expectations for the season following their business in the January transfer window.
Aston Villa certainly got off to a rocky start in the first few months of the season, resulting in them having to sack manager Dean Smith with the club 17th in the table and just two points above the relegation zone.
That may have been a bit of a shock considering that the former manager felt he could take them into the top half having done some impressive work with the club in the preceding seasons.
The club have since appointed Steven Gerrard, who has managed to turn them around somewhat, with the club currently ninth in the form table since the former England captain was appointed.
Part of the reason behind that has been the impact the club’s January signings have made, with Philippe Coutinho grabbing two goals and two assists in his four appearances.
Speaking on the Claret and Blue podcast, Rolinson discussed whether the January singings might force the club to change their aspirations for the season, or if the focus was more on what the club could do next season following their bad start to 2021/22.
He said: “Part of me thinks that those signings are a big deal, as if to say, ‘here you are, we’re giving you more ammunition here, go on and get towards European football’. Whether that’s a realistic target, I’m not quite sure. It does feel a little bit like, ‘we want to do better than mid-table, here is a big name, here’s Philippe Coutinho’.
“Bringing in a change of manager, Coutinho, [Lucas] Digne, [Calum] Chambers, whoever else – I still think the target is mid-table would be good. I don’t think they’ve gone, ‘right, well here’s Coutinho, you’ve got to finish sixth now’. I think that would be foolish from the board to expect that from a new manager. And I don’t think they are, I think they’re wiser than that.”
TIF Thoughts on Dan Rolinson’s comments about Aston Villa and their expectations…
Will Gerrard win silverware with Villa?
Yes!
No!
Rolinson is probably right with his assessment of things, because given where Villa were when Gerrard took over, to turn that into a team that could possibly finish in a European place would be a rather tough ask, even with the additions to the squad that have been made.
This season should really be all about consolidating the team and putting them in a decent position ahead of next season, make them look like a team that is making progress, and then with some further additions, make a run at European competition next year.
Obviously, it would be nice if they could do it this season, but it shouldn’t be seen as a major disappointment if they don’t achieve it straight away under Gerrard.
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