Wolves manager Bruno Lage on the biggest difference in Aston Villa under Steven Gerrard

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Bruno Lage claims the biggest difference in Aston Villa under Steven Gerrard is the system they deploy and adds that it will be the first time his side have competed against a team who play such a way.

Villa fans won’t need reminding of the debacle that saw them throw away a 2-0 lead at Villa Park under Dean Smith back in October but the claret & blue do seem to be made of sterner stuff since the arrival of Gerrard.

Lage is well aware of the test that awaits his side this time around and has left no stone unturned in his preparation for the big game.

“They’ve changed the system and it’s obvious they come with different ideas,” explained the Wolves boss.

“I remember watching some games from Rangers, especially two years ago, Porto v Rangers, Benfica v Rangers also and the ideas are there but not with one striker and two wingers it’s a little bit different.

“(They play with) two strikers and one offensive midfielder - [Philippe] Coutinho is there in that zone. He can be striker, he can move on the right, move on the left, he can play between the lines, he can play two in the diamond as a midfielder.

“That will be the dynamic and it will be our first time that we are going to play against a system like that.

“One more time, I think it’s going to be a big challenge for us. A top player Gerrard was, he has a lot of experience as a manager now.

“Aston Villa are a massive club with top players and another good challenge for us to play the way we want to play at home and with our fans.”

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