Former Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard 'facing' sack at Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia
Former Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard is thought be on the verge of getting the sack at Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq, following his team’s poor start to the 2024/25 season.
This is according to a report from The Sun. In their last game, Al-Ettifaq suffered a shock defeat against Al-Jabalain in the King Cup of Champions, a club who currently play in the second tier of Saudi Arabian football. Al-Jabalain drew first blood early on, only for Al-Ettifaq to level the scores thanks to a smartly taken penalty from Vitinho.
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Hide AdHowever, Al-Ettifaq failed to make Al-Jabalain pay in the second half - instead, they took the lead once again through Kaka Mendes, with Saad Al-Selouli putting them two goals ahead in the 73rd minute. Gerrard’s side could not find an adequate response and fell to an ignominious defeat on the road.
Gerrard claimed he tried to ‘rest’ key members of his team for this game - nevertheless, his plan backfired, as the squad he put out was not strong enough to overcome their Saudi First Division League opposition.
In addition to this, Al-Ettifaq are also on a miserable run in the league. They have not won a league game since September 14, when they defeated Al Fateh by a score of 2-1.
Al-Ettifaq have a relatively strong squad for their level, featuring ex-Premier League stars such as Marek Rodak, Demarai Gray and former Champions League winner Georginio Wijnaldum. Last season, they finished 6th in the Saudi Pro League - 48 points behind eventual champions Al-Hilal.
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Hide AdAl-Ettifaq have fared little better in the league - as things stand, they are 10th in league table with just 11 points from eight games - they are 13 points behind league leaders Al-Hilal.
After his team’s latest defeat, Gerrard spoke to the press: “I congratulate Al-Jabalain. The team was excellent and deserved to qualify. The Al-Jabalain team was the best in everything on the field. Our team did not show up. This was not the proper performance for the match.
“Al-Ettifaq did not show up today as we wanted. Al-Jabalain had the passion and deserved to qualify. The plan was for [Moussa] Dembele to start, but he wasn't fully fit for this match. Because of the pressure of the matches, I tried to rest some names, but the other team actually deserved it. Everyone was fully fit.”
Previous to his time in Saudi Arabia, Gerrard took the reins at Rangers and Aston Villa. While he achieved great success at Rangers, winning the Scottish Premiership title with the Light Blues, his time at Villa was not quite as fruitful - while he made a strong start to life at Villa Park, he would eventually be sacked in October of 2022 with a win ratio of 32.5%.
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Hide AdAs a player, he is best known for his legendary run at Liverpool, where he played a major role in their unlikely 200 Champions League winning campaign. One of the most celebrated players in the Reds’ history, he also spent a brief period at LA Galaxy in the twilight of his career.