Boss Steven Gerrard wants to ‘take the heat’ as Aston Villa are booed off

The Villa fans turned on the players after another defeat.
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Manager Steven Gerrard wants to “take the heat” off his shot-shy Aston Villa side after they were booed off the pitch in defeat at home to Watford.

The claret and blues could only muster one shot on target all afternoon in their Premier League clash, although striker Danny Ings hit the outside of the post.

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Their display was arguably the better of the two teams, but it was Watford who produced the better chances and they made one tell.

Villa were beaten when Watford nabbed a winner in the 78th minute, Emmanuel Dennis heading home from Ismalia Sarr’s cross.

The worst run of form that Gerrard has endured in his managerial career now stands at one win from eight games, with the Villa chief sympathising with the fans’ fury.

Gerrard said: “We have been booed off and I think we deserved that. It falls on my shoulders and I’ll take the heat, to protect the players, but an improvement has got to come.

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“Time will tell, but what I can guarantee is that myself and my staff will do everything that we can to turn it around. We’ve worked hard to get some good results, but that’s fading away.

“I’ve had a really honest conversation with the players and now they need to stand up and be counted. I’m really frustrated with the performance.

“Our quality in the final third wasn’t good enough. We’ve had 60 per cent of the ball and got into the right areas, but we only had one shot on target, in the whole game.

Steven Gerrard, manager of Aston Villa, reacts during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Watford at Villa Park on February 19, 2022.Steven Gerrard, manager of Aston Villa, reacts during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Watford at Villa Park on February 19, 2022.
Steven Gerrard, manager of Aston Villa, reacts during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Watford at Villa Park on February 19, 2022.

“We’re at home, we need to be more exciting than that, we need to create more and score more. We knew that they carry a threat on the counter-attack, so we are not surprised.

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“This is very much on me. We need to wake up fast. We have played three teams below us, in the last three games, and taken one point.

“That’s on me. Things need to change, we need to improve and we need to do it fast. We have to face the music.”

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