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Steven Gerrard says managers like Ralph Hasenhuttl and Mikel Arteta prove Premier League teams can benefit from sticking by their bosses through bad periods of form.
Aston Villa boss Gerrard is under pressure after a disappointing campaign which has so far seen his side lose four of their first six Premier League games.
Hasenhuttl’s Southampton head to Villa Park tonight looking to build on a positive, albeit inconsistent, start to the season having picked up seven points so far.
The Austrian appears to have his side on the up after recovering from his own moments of turmoil as boss, including two separate 9-0 defeats.
Gerrard, 42, told Sky Sports: “It’s the most demanding league in the world at the bottom, in the middle and at the top. It was the same when I played.
“So it’s not always going to be an easy journey and you’ve got to perform and you’ve got to be better when the heat’s on. You’ve got to roll your sleeves up and put yourself forward even more.
“A lot of managers have shown that sometimes you’ve got to have tough periods, have setbacks and show you can cope in those moments, come through them and build on them.
“You’ve got to be patient and try to get to the stage where the building process continues. There’s a lot of examples of that, I think Ralph is one.
“You look at Mikel Arteta, who is obviously flying high now at the top of the Premier League. I bet if you spoke to him, it hasn’t all been about ups and fantastic times and enjoying it all.
“What he did do in the tough moments is he stepped forward and I think that’s what we have to do as managers in these situations. You’ve got to show that you’re all in.”
Turning point
Despite the pressure the former Liverpool midfielder is facing, a 1-1 draw against champions Manchester City in Villa’s last game has boosted hopes of a resurgence.
With many expecting a heavy defeat, the Villans put in a spirited display to stifle Pep Guardiola’s men and Leon Bailey’s late equaliser to earn a share of the spoils was richly deserved.
Gerard added: “We want to make it a turning point but just because you perform well against a high-quality opponent, it gives you no guarantees.
“You’ve got to go and put [the work] in on the training ground, reset yourselves and then back that performance up.
“What we showed against City was that when we’re at our best, and our top players are close to their best form, we can compete against anyone in the league.
“What we need to do now is back that up. It doesn’t guarantee that you’ve turned the corner, one performance.”
Hasenhuttl out to put things right
Even with eye-catching wins over Leicester and Chelsea this season, the Saints have struggled for consistency — losing in the following game after both those victories.
After a 1-0 defeat to Wolves last time out, the Hasenhuttl will want his side to quickly get back to winning ways.
And the 55-year-old has challenged his Saints players to banish memories of last season’s 4-0 drubbing at Villa Park, which he describes as their worst away performance of 2021-22.
He said: “They are full of high individual quality in the team.
“After a not so easy start, which is normal in the Premier League, they are starting to play better and I think the last game against Man City showed how good they can be at home.
“For us, we had some very good games there in the past and last year was maybe one of the not so good ones for us and we want to do things much better.
“It was maybe the worst away game we had last season and it’s a good chance to show we can do it better.”
Team news
Villa have a potential concern in the goalkeeping department with both Emi Martinez and Robin Olsen facing late fitness tests ahead of the Villa Park clash.
Argentine No1 Martinez has been struggling with illness and understudy Olsen has a knee injury, meaning both will be assessed prior to kick-off.
Gerrard says he expects at least one of them to be available but if the pair are ruled out, it will leave untested third choice Filip Marschall, 19, to step between the sticks against the Saints.
The Villa boss will also make a late call on striker Ollie Watkins after the forward felt unwell at the start of the week.
Leander Dendoncker is in contention to make his Villa debut following his move from Wolves, while fellow deadline-day signing Jan Bednarek misses out with the loanee unable to face his parent club.
Southampton could hand a debut to defender Duje Caleta-Car at Villa Park, following the Croatian’s switch from Marseille on deadline day.
Full-back Tino Livramento and midfielder Romeo Lavia remain sidelined for Hasenhuttl with respective knee and hamstring issues.
