‘We asked them’: Steven Gerrard now reveals what he asked Villa’s players to do to Chelsea’s defenders yesterday
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard said after the game that he told his players to ‘make it personal’ with Chelsea’s defenders.
The Blues came away from Villa Park with all three points, but they had to work hard for them.
They relied on Kepa Arrizabalaga, who turned in one of his best performances in a Chelsea shirt, making seven saves, including one of the season’s best to deny Danny Ings.
Chelsea’s defense was put to the test, and the clean sheet they earned may not be a fair reflection of the game.
Yesterday, Marc Cucurella in particular struggled. The Spaniard, who was playing in a back three, was taken off at halftime in order for Graham Potter to settle things down at the back.
This poor performance could be attributed to Gerrard’s instructions to his forwards, who were told to take the game to a Chelsea back three that had never played together before.
He said: “The front three were a big threat throughout, we asked them to really take the game and make it personal with Chelsea’s back three.
“Asking John and JJ to get in the box more and release themselves more to get more bodies forward.
“As I say, for the first 60 minutes, outside of Tyrone’s mistake, it’s probably the strongest 60 minutes the players have given.”
Thiago Silva put in another timeless performance in the middle of the back three, and Graham Potter will be worried about his fitness ahead of Wednesday’s local derby against Brentford.
The former Brighton manager will be hoping to make it six wins in a row during his tenure, and the win over Villa demonstrated that his team can certainly win ugly when necessary.
‘We asked them’: Steven Gerrard now reveals what he asked Villa’s players to do to Chelsea’s defenders yesterday
