Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard goes into Saturday’s Premier League clash away at Brighton with big selection dilemmas at his disposal.
Having picked up just one point in their last three games, the claret & blue are in desperate need of a victory to boost morale and get the ship steering back onto the correct course.
It seems a lifetime a go since Gerrard first took the reins at Villa Park and his first game actually came against this weekend’s opponents.
A 2-0 win over the Seagulls back in November got the former Liverpool captain’s tenure off to the perfect start and the performances that followed brought with them waves of optimism.
But that has since faded. The new manager bounce has well and truly leveled out and recent performances have left a lot to be desired.
Big players haven’t been performing and goalscoring has been a problem.
Gerrard will have learned a lot about his new side during this rough patch and it would come as no surprise to see him ring the changes as a statement of intent as Villa go in search of three points on the south coast.
Here’s the line-up we think the manager could go with on Saturday afternoon.
9. RW - Emi Buendia
The most creative outlet up front at the minute. If he’s ticking, the rest of the team usually follow.
10. ST - Danny Ings
Believe he gets the nod over Watkins, just. | AFP via Getty Images
11. LW - Philippe Coutinho
Difficult to see Gerrard leaving Coutinho out of the eleven, even if Leon Bailey is now fit and firing. Considering the Brazilians early returns at the position though, it’s hard to blame him. | Getty Images