Steven Gerrard faces his former side and could well play a big part in in his boyhood club’s league success as the 21/22 campaign nears it’s end, as the Merseyside club sit three points off Manchester City.
Can the former Liverpool captain inflict heart-breaking damage upon his former side and push them further away from the top spot?
Here is all you need to know ahead of this one, in this fixture’s MATCH PREVIEW.
BUILD UP
Aston Villa play hosts to Jürgen Klopp’s quadruple-chasing Liverpool side in round 36 of the Premier League, on the back of their expertly-executed victory over relegation-threatened Burnley at Turf Moor.
First-half goals from Danny Ings and Emiliano Buendía had the Villans leading at half-time in a 45 minutes that was, for the most part, played under Buendía’s jurisdiction; the little Argentine orchestrated each offensive play, taking his opportunity well in what was his first start in five league games.
Burnley had their fair share of half-chances throughout the first 45, but Mike Jackson’s side could not make the most of them, and it was Villa who would dominate the second showing, with Ollie Watkins being the man to capitalise on the away team’s superiority. Villa’s top goal scorer nodded the ball home after a well-taken delivery from the excellently-performing John McGinn.
A late Maxwell Cornet consolation goal somewhat devalued what would’ve been a perfect away day, but it was without doubt one of the claret and blues’ best displays of the season, and Gerrard’s side will now bring this confidence and form into Tuesday night’s massive affair at B6.
This win leaves the Midlands side unbeaten in three, with a goalless draw against Leicester City and a comfortable win over the relegated Norwich City occurring within the last couple of weeks. Villa face one of their toughest tests this season however, as UEFA Champions League finalists Liverpool await them at Villa Park this Tuesday.
Klopp’s side have had quite the year both domestically and in Europe, and are still on to win all four competitions that they have found themselves in this season. The Reds have already attained one trophy after beating Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea on penalties in the EFL Cup final back in February.
Liverpool are also in the final of the FA Cup, where Chelsea seek revenge, and as mentioned, are in the UEFA Champions League final with Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid their opponents in Paris. In the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have the edge on them and sit three points ahead, and as a result Klopp’s side will be as determined and hungry for three points as they ever have been heading into Tuesday night.
The Reds slipped up last time out, dropping points at home to Tottenham Hotspur, and will look to get back to winning ways to catch their title-chasing rivals with just three games to go. January signing Luis Díaz cancelled out Son Heung-Min’s opener, but with The Citizens hammering five past Newcastle United on Sunday, every fixture is now a cup final for Klopp’s team.
Can Steven Gerrard all but put his former side out of the title race, or will Jürgen Klopp’s world-class Reds get back on track and take three points with them back to Merseyside?
Let’s take a look at the team news from either dressing room heading into a night under the lights at Villa Park…
SUBSCRIBE
Enjoying this article – then please subscribe to UTVPODCAST | An Aston Villa Blog to help us grow and support the site; you’ll receive instant email notifications of all released article.
Plus, it’s completely free.
TEAM NEWS
With the quick turnaround of games, and with both sides coming out of their weekend clashes seemingly unscathed, the team news is all but the same. The big update that many Villa fans will be looking out for is that of the condition of Jacob Ramsey, who missed the Burnley victory after Steven Gerrard broke the unexpected news in Friday’s press conference.
Ramsey appears to be absent due to a groin problem, which must have been sustained in one of the final training sessions before the game at Turf Moor on the weekend. Steven Gerrard explained that the young midfielder is “A big doubt for Tuesday.” but reassured the Villa faithful by confirming that “He [Ramsey] won’t be long.”
Gerrard looks set to be without the 20 year-old for the second consecutive game, saying “We’re hoping to get him involved in the squad at Liverpool but that’s looking ambitious right now.”, but after the impressive displays from both John McGinn and Douglas Luiz at Burnley, Ramsey’s presence should not be too harshly missed.
Joining Ramsey in the injury room, is both Kortney Hause and Leon Bailey. Hause has a persistent abdominal issue which has kept him out of the side for two months now, meanwhile Bailey, of course, picked up that ankle injury in the first-half against Norwich and will miss the rest of the season as a result.
Aside from this, Steven Gerrard has a full squad to choose from to battle against the beast that is Liverpool, with Danny Ings and Philippe Coutinho likely to feature against their former club.
Liverpool appear to have a full fit squad heading into Tuesday’s game, with the only doubt being Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino. The Red’s No.9 has missed the last three weeks worth of action with a foot injury that wasn’t originally thought to be serious, but has kept him out of the last six games. Firmino was touch and go to face Spurs on Saturday, and therefore may be available against Aston Villa this week – bad news for Gerrard and his side as the 30 year-old possesses a number of game-changing attributes.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70795050/1240027001.0.jpg?w=800&ssl=1)
Jürgen Klopp could therefore have a completely fit squad to take with him to Villa Park on Tuesday, a squad that is filled to the brim with talent and world class stars that have each been a big part in Liverpool’s success this campaign. The likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Thiago Alcântara and Mohammed Salah are all expected to start the tie, with other names such as Sadio Mané and Trent Alexander-Arnold all in line to feature too.
Let’s now take a closer look at the opposition for this week…
THE OPPOSITION
Liverpool are a side that have been at the forefront of English football for many years now, finding themselves near the top of the table for what seems like forever, and at the business end of things in the world’s greatest club competitions, the UEFA Champions League, regularly too.
Manager Jürgen Klopp has done a superb job since his introduction in 2015, and has led his Reds to five different trophies during his time in Merseyside. The German’s well-tuned system has resulted in the club’s first Premier League title, a sixth UEFA Champions League title, a UEFA Super Cup title, a FIFA Club World Cup title and most recently an EFL Cup triumph.
Klopp will go down in history as one of Liverpool’s greats, and after recently signing a contract extension, will surely bring more success to the club over the next few years.
A typical Klopp side lines up in a 4-3-3 shape, with a heavy reliance on the use of versatile full-backs that bomb up and down the field and see a lot of the ball when creating chances. Andy Robertson and academy graduate Trent Alexander-Arnold are the wide pair that have dominated these positions over the years, and each have incredible output in terms of numbers and statistics to back up their fine work.
The sublime awareness of the two centre-backs, whether that be Joël Matip or Ibrahima Konaté partnering the world’s best Virgil Van Dijk, allow for the fluidity of these full-backs, as they can easily mop up any cleared danger from the opposition or counter-attacking threats.
The midfield three is versatile and hard-working, with each player pushing up the field when possession is lost to put pressure on the opposition midfield. The running statistics for this Liverpool side over the seasons are out of this world, and are easily the league’s highest. Whilst these three are physically capable, they also possess many technical abilities that contribute when in possession. Thiago Alcântara namely fits this bill, and the former FC Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona man is having an incredible year in red – he is truly a joy to watch on the ball.
:focal(1092x366:1094x364)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/12/16/3272949-66976248-2560-1440.jpg?w=800&ssl=1)
The most recognisable and talented part of this Liverpool side however, is that of the attack. The three who have torn the league apart this season, are Sadio Mané, Mohammed Salah and Diogo Jota. This gifted trio have immaculate numbers in front of goal, and each occupy a place in the top five of the top scorers list this year. Mané and Salah are typically the inside forwards of the side, and under lap the high-flying full-backs when on the attack, finding space between the centre-back and full-back of the opposition side.
Jota, or Roberto Firmino, make up the point of the attack, and cleverly find spaces beyond the midfield and defense to fashion chances for the two wingers who expertly fine space beyond the back-line. The three play a magnificent role out of possession too, and carry a seamless ability to press an opposition defence. The synchronicity of this press has haunted Premier League defenders over the years, and is such an admirable piece in the Jürgen Klopp Liverpool jigsaw.
January signing, Luis Díaz, has come in and settled instantaneously into the system and playing style of the side. The Columbian winger has picked up some impressive numbers and scored some important goals for the Reds in such a short space of time, proving to be quite the acquisition from Klopp and his recruitment team.
Wherever you look in this Liverpool squad, you will find talent, and each player has been transformed to suit and fit a system that has paid it’s dividends over the years. Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa certainly face a challenge coming up against this side on Tuesday.
Having taken an in-depth look at Aston Villa’s next opponents, let’s move on to my final thoughts ahead of this huge affair at Villa Park…
VILLA STORE
Hit the image to be directed to the club shop.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Naturally, this is a very tough game for Gerrard and his side, and I fully expect Klopp’s men to make it difficult for Villa for the full 90 minutes. The relentless pressing and high shape that the Liverpool boss enforces will really test the claret and blue’s ball retention and ability to play out of tough situations.
As we saw in The Reds’ previous fixture against Tottenham however, with defensive resilience and rigidness will come opportunities to counter-attack and hit Liverpool on the break, where they are most vulnerable due to their wing-backs pushing high up the field leaving only the two centre-backs and some of the midfield.
Here, for me, the pace and power of Ollie Watkins can be utilised to benefit Villa; something we saw time and time again in the incredible 7-2 victory last season, where Watkins bagged himself a hat-trick and a handful of other chances to inflict damage on the Liverpool back line. Danny Ings’ excellent finishing ability will also come in handy here, as he is notoriously clinical in front of goal, and if Villa do not have many chances to score, you will want this man on the end of them just in case.
Buendía and/or Coutinho will also play a crucial part in the tie. Their joint ability to pick up the ball and make something happen or fashion a chance will be integral in Villa’s hopes of getting something out of the game. The creativity the pair possess can hurt any team, and whoever starts or features will need to be on top of their game to break down the elite Liverpool defense.
Keeping the likes of Mohammed Salah and the inform Luis Díaz quite will be no easy feat, but the Villa defense has remained strong of late, and should really have achieved three consecutive clean sheets if it wasn’t for the lapse in judgement at the end of the Burnley fixture.
I believe we will see another strong performance from Gerrard and his men, but whether that will be enough to stop this well-drilled and mightily inspired Liverpool side, I simply do not know.
I will predict a narrow 2-1 defeat, reminiscent of the 19/20 fixture at Villa Park, with Danny Ings to bag again his former side, and Mohammed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk to grab the winning goals for the travelling Reds.
Let’s hope I am incorrect and we can get what would be an immense three points at home. Up the Villa!
Liam
PODCAST | MATCH PREVIEW
LIAM DAVIES | UTV PODCAST
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive liamayrtondavies – UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
UTV PODCAST | LATEST NEWS
Check out the latest news from the UTV PODCAST HQ.
Remember, this is a channel built by fans for the fans. It’s a platform for anyone to come on and have their say – if it’s joining us on a Fan Reaction show or getting involved in our written work like Fan Reports, Player Focus and the popular Player Ratings or have your question answered on our Preview shows – it is open to all.
It’s a super chilled platform, so drop us a message or use our contact page.
DONATE
You can now donate to UTVPODCAST | An Aston Villa Blog– a small donation would go a long way to support the continued evolution of our site.
Thank you so much for your support.
SUBSCRIBE
Enjoying this article – then please subscribe to UTVPODCAST | An Aston Villa Blog to help us grow and support the site; you’ll receive instant email notifications of all released article.
Plus, it’s completely free.
FACEBOOK | UTV PODCAST AN ASTON VILLA BLOG
Tap the icon button to join our Facebook page for instant notifications of all the website releases.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook and Twitter readers, click the respective icon below to follow our utvpodcast social media accounts.
In Support of #HerGameToo
#Hergame Too is a campaign set up to raise awareness for the sexism that is prevalent in football, as well as supporting, empowering, and creating opportunities for females involved in the game. The #HerGameToo team are made up of twelve football fans that represent an array of teams across the country, including some that work in the industry who have experienced some sexism in their everyday work. They actively encourage people to speak out about their experiences, whether it be to #HerGameToo, friends or family, or the football clubs involved. We must acknowledge that football has come a long way from the issues that existed historically, however there is still a long way to go.
#HerGameToo are doing great work on understanding and removing misogyny in the men’s game, and are continuing to develop their campaign to make it the most inclusive and accessible it can be. Elevating hard-hitting stories, data and new voices is helping to spread their message loud and clear.
If you would like to show your support for #HerGameToo, you can help by calling out any misogynistic comments you hear or see and give them a follow on any of their socials.
W: http://hergametoo.co.uk T: @HerGameToo I: @HerGameToo F: @HerGameToo
