The manager of Aston Villa, Steven Gerrard, has described his team as a 45 minutes team after losing 2-1 to Wolves at Molineux Stadium on Saturday, April 2, 2022.
Steven Gerrard led Aston Villa to play against Wolves with the hope that his team could bounce back after two successive defeats in Villa’s last two Premier League games.
Recall that Aston Villa lost 2-1 in favor of West Ham United on March 13 and lost 1-0 in favor of Arsenal on March 19 before the club’s players were allowed to go for the March FIFA international break.
Despite the hope that Aston Villa could get at least a draw away from home, they failed to give Wolves a good fight to earn the desired point.
Coach Steven Gerrard‘s plan for the game went bad when Wolves’ Jonny struck scored a half-volley to give the hosts the desired lead as early as the 7th minute.
Things got worst for Aston Villa when the club’s veteran defender Ashley Young mistakenly headed the ball into Villa’s net. The own goal doubled Wolves’ lead in the first half and made the game more difficult for their visitors.
In the second half, Aston Villa tried to fight back by playing better and more organized than they did in the first half. Their effort produced 15 shots in 90 minutes, five of which were on target.
But it was not until in the 86th minute that Aston Villa were able to score a goal in the match in which they enjoyed 52 percent of the ball possession. Ollie Watkins scored Villa’s consolation goal via a spot-kick.
All the highlights from today’s win.
— Wolves (@Wolves) April 2, 2022
🍿😁 pic.twitter.com/Et6NpVmKit
After the Premier League game which ended 2-1 in favor of Wolves, coach Steven Gerrard told reporters that he and his team did not perform well enough in the game.
The English tactician stressed that he would fix whatever is making Aston Villa look like a 45 minutes team after showing more passion in the second half than in the first half.
“It’s a game we never turned up for,” coach Steven Gerrard said. “We’re playing Wolves, a local rival, but you can’t come to derbies at halftime.
“We’re looking like a 45-minute team and that’s on me – we gifted Wolves two goals. I’ve got to fix it and I will fix it.
“The players in the building have to help me fix it now. If not, we will get players in who will help me fix it.”
🗣 “It was too little too late and we’ve got ourselves to blame for that.”
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 2, 2022
Steven Gerrard admits that Aston Villa were second best in the first half against Wolves but could’ve snatched a point late on pic.twitter.com/fq3d2qykP1
The 2-1 win over Aston Villa has brightened Wolves’ chances of playing in European competition in the 2022-2023 season. The win has pushed Wolves to the 7th spot with 49 points in 31 games, two points below 6th placed Manchester United which have a game in hand.
If things remain this way, Wolves could qualify for at least Europa Conference League. If they could push to finish 6th or 5th which is still possible, they could get a Europa League spot.
On the other hand, Steven Gerrard and his Aston Villa players are not looking like they will qualify for any European competition. The good news for them is that they are currently occupying the 10th spot on the league table with 36 points in 30 games.
Recall that Gerrard became the coach of the Premier League side when the team was less than five points away from the relegation zone. But he has been able to push Villa 14 points away from the relegation zone.
The English tactician still have match watery games to win to finish strongly on the league table. Some of the games that could be very demanding this season are the league games against Tottenham Hotspur on April 9, Liverpool (postponed ), Leicester City on April 23, and Manchester City on May 22.
On the other hand, before Wolves can earn a European club competition spot, they will need to get a point against heavyweights like Manchester City (postponed), Chelsea on May 7, and Liverpool on May 22.
