Steven Gerrard

Latest Aston Villa news via BirminghamLive brings you a look at what Steven Gerrard will want this week with Everton next up at Villa Park.

Only five other clubs had a better home record than the Foxes who, as we know, finished seven points better off than Villa in 2021/22. A home win on Saturday - however it comes - will be the perfect medicine to ease what’s been a bit of a bad week. The crowd will look to feed off anything positive inside the opening 10 minutes and a goal would instantly lift the mood and morale. What needs to happen this week is for Gerrard to put all of the Mings nonsense to bed. Then there’s the striker debate; will Gerrard go with one or two and play Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings as he’s often done at Villa Park. A week ago, all was rosy at Villa Park off the back of an unbeaten pre-season campaign while, to most, Gerrard’s captaincy change was seen as a positive step forward as we embark on what feels like a new era in B6. Gerrard’s ‘look me in the eye’ remark was down to Mings proving his fitness, while the boss uses that term quite a lot when speaking to the media.

Steven Gerrard and Tyrone Mings have not had a bust-up and that is not a reason for the Aston Villa boss stripping the centre-back of the captaincy.

However, Gerrard and Mings have not had a bust-up and as such that is not a reason for the player losing his first team spot at Villa Park. Gerrard has made it clear that when Mings is back to playing at his best, he will be handed game time while in the meantime, Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos are his preferred centre-back paring. The England international being stripped of his duties as captain and his subsequent demotion to the bench has resulted in some speculating that he has had falling-out with his boss Gerrard.

Latest Aston Villa news brings you a transfer tale from the summer as James Tarkowski was on Steven Gerrard's radar prior to joining Everton.

Moving across the defence later in the game didn't knock him out of his stride either and he looked solid throughout.” Last week, Tarkowski was also given a glowing review of his debut despite Everton slipping to a 1-0 defeat against Chelsea at Goodison Park, as our colleagues at the Liverpool Echo declared: “He's slotted into the Everton side as if he's been there for years. As for Tarkowski, he was more than happy with Frank Lampard’s offer while staying in the north west was also key for him and his family.

Gerrard is hoping for big strides forward at Aston Villa this season but his team opened with a lame loss at Bournemouth.

Upfront Danny Ings got the nod to start ahead of Ollie Watkins last weekend - fuelling claims of a bust-up which Villa's head of communications has described as “absolute nonsense” on Mings, who has been struggling with a groin injury, didn’t even make the starting line up on the south coast where he was an unused sub. The former Liverpool and England skipper is under the microscope after Villa's dire start to the season at Bournemouth, where they conceded after just 118 seconds.