Earlier today, Aston Villa posted footage from the pre-season tour in Brisbane, where Steven Gerrard made an interesting comment.
What’s the story?
Well, the 42-year-old has pushed his players to the limit in Australia, to say the very least.
In the video, supporters can see the Aston Villa players running relentlessly around the training pitches, in what appears to be something similar to a bleep test.
At the end, as the likes of John McGinn and Philippe Coutinho attempt to regain their breath, Gerrard can be heard congratulating those who lasted the longest, telling one player that he bets they “hate” his guts right now.
You can see the footage from Brisbane below.
As they say – train hard, and you’ll fight easy. That is exactly what the Villans seem to be doing down under.
Steven Gerrard set for 1st test of Aston Villa pre-season
On Sunday, Aston Villa will undergo their first proper test of pre-season, as they go up against Leeds in the Queensland Champions Cup at the Suncorp Stadium.
Jesse Marsch has already made some solid additions to his side, such as Marc Roca, Tyler Adams, Luis Sinisterra, Rasmus Kristensen and Brenden Aaronson.
With the impressive Joe Gelhardt playing well during pre-season too, Gerrard should expect a proper game this Sunday, even if it is just a friendly.
Of course, at this stage of pre-season, it is all about improving the squad’s fitness, which will certainly be put to the test if Leeds continue their impressive form in Australia.
The Whites recorded a 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar yesterday, in which the likes of Roca and Gelhardt looked very sharp. Before departing for Australia, Leeds again impressed as they recorded a 4-0 win over Blackpool.
Ultimately, results are irrelevant in pre-season, but it will be interesting to see how Aston Villa cope against Leeds.
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