Gabby Agbonlahor says some Aston Villa stars have shared with him how Steven Gerrard impressed them from the Liverpool icon’s first day as manager, via his column for The Sun.
The Villans appointed Gerrard to replace Dean Smith at the helm last month after suffering five-straight Premier League defeats. They have since taken three wins in four, only losing 2-1 to title-holders Manchester City before bouncing back at Leicester.
Gerrard will now seek another three-points on Saturday when he returns to Liverpool as an opponent for the first time. He has helped to lift the spirits at Aston Villa with only the Reds and Manchester City (12) taking more points than the Birmingham outfit (9) since joining.
One of the first changes Gerrard implemented after replacing Smith as Aston Villa manager was to ban ketchup. He considered the matter a way to secure every minimal gain. He also noted, via Goal: “The players have to have the right mentality. Go above and beyond.”
Agbonlahor laughs at Gerrard’s ketchup ban at Aston Villa
Agbonlahor laughs at the thought of managers banning certain foods, with Antonio Conte also implementing strict diets at Tottenham Hotspur. But the Aston Villa hero notes some stars at Villa Park have reached out to share how Gerrard impressed them.
“I have heard from some Villa players that they have been very impressed with him from the word go,” Agbonlahor said. “But I tell you one thing.
“Whatever positive changes Gerrard has made, it will have nothing to do with the absence of ketchup from the players’ canteen! Apparently, Gerrard has banned ketchup and puddings. And it was the same when Antonio Conte arrived at Tottenham.
“These stories always make me laugh. It’s the same at any club. When you’re winning, you can eat whatever you like. When you’re losing or when there’s a new manager, it’s ‘no sauce, no chocolate, no sweets’.”
Gerrard to have last laugh when Aston Villa face Liverpool?
Gerrard will hope to have the last laugh by guiding Aston Villa to an upset when they visit Liverpool. The Villa Park side have a poor recent record at Anfield he will want to change.
Aston Villa have not won away to Liverpool in any competition since beating a Gerrard-led side 1-0 in 2014. Agbonlahor fired home the only goal of the Premier League meeting.
Since then, the Reds are a perfect three from three with an aggregate scoreline of 7-3. The Anfield natives have also only lost once in the top-flight in their last seven encounters.
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