Thierry Henry has slammed Aston Villa for sacking Steven Gerrard ‘too early’ and added that Barcelona shouldn’t be doing the same with Xavi, as he told CBS Sports on Paramount+ (26/10/22 at 6:10 pm).
The Arsenal legend added that it was a ‘ridiculous’ call from Villa to axe Gerrard last Thursday, with Unai Emery now the club’s new Head Coach, as Xavi is under pressure at the Nou Camp after Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League and straight into the Europa League on Wednesday.
Two of the greatest midfielders of their game have taken to the dugout, but they are proving, whatever you did with the ball at your feet, it’s the complete opposite when handing out tactics from the side.
Last Thursday, Gerrard would have perhaps experienced one of his lowest moments in football, when the Villa fans turned against him during their defeat to Fulham and one hour after the full-time whistle, he was handed his p45.
The Liverpool legend would have thought ‘what on earth am I watching?’ when days later, against Brentford, that very same squad of players, with a change of tactics, then beat Brentford 4-0 on home soil, including going 3-0 up inside 15 minutes.
Nonetheless, with finically-hit Barcelona dropping down to the Europa League yesterday, Henry spoke about Xavi’s situation in Spain and compared it to how Gerrard was treated at Villa.
“We have seen it with big Stevie G,” said Henry. “It was too early to sack the guy. You don’t even let him work and try to put a team in position or in motion, like Arteta has done.
“Let me tell you, if it was another coach right now at Barcelona, dealing with what’s happening, then it would have been a volcano more than it is. The volcano would have erupted. But because it’s Xavi, it’s kind of okay.
“They are second in the league – but you are the coach of Barcelona and you are going to get judged.
He added later on: “I personally don’t think he (Xavi) should lose his job, I think he’s doing a great job. I think Steve Gerrard, they didn’t give him enough time. That was just ridiculous. You need to give, whoever x players, time. I will again mention Arteta. He was nowhere to be seen. One of the worst seasons at Arsenal, you gave him time and you can build a team.”
RIGHT CALL TO SACK GERRARD, WRONG CALL TO APPOINT HIM
It was the right call from Villa to part ways with Gerrard, but just the wrong call to hand him the keys in the first place.
If you are going to give a manager, of that experience and it’s very little, such a big job, then it needs to come with the understanding that he is still learning on the job.
Just like Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, he is going to make some mistakes, and in some cases, big ones, but you have the belief that you are willing to stick by him, and take a few steps back, in order to move forward.
Villa weren’t in a position where they could afford to take a few steps back because it would land them straight into the relegation zone, so when they wanted to take that next step when sacking Dean Smith, then someone like Gerrard wasn’t the answer.
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