Aston Villa have confirmed in an official statement that their manager Steven Gerrard will be missing their next two fixtures after testing positive for the coronavirus. There has been a massive surge in the number of cases in the United Kingdom, which led to a lot of Premier League games getting postponed over the last three weeks.
Three games on Boxing Day have been postponed due to the ongoing crisis, but Villa’s home fixture against Chelsea will go on as per the plan. The former Liverpool captain will not be seen on the touchline and although there is no official confirmation about it, Aaron Danks, Gerrard’s assistant, could take over for these two games on his behalf.
Villa have a couple of very tricky fixtures to negotiate this tough period, where they host Chelsea first and then travel to West Yorkshire to face Leeds United. The club has shown some patches of brilliance over the time period.
After a 1-0 win over Manchester United in September, the club suffered five consecutive defeats in the league, which led to the sacking of Dean Smith.
The former Liverpool midfielder was contracted with reigning Scottish Premiership champions Rangers at this point but could not resist the temptation of heading back to the Premier League.
Since he joined the club, they lost only to league leaders Manchester City and Liverpool, whilst maintaining a brilliant record on the run. They also won the midlands derby against Leicester (2-1), which further strengthened their belief in the manager.
It would be fair to say that the 41-year-old has brought around a positive vibe at Villa Park and has made the fans believe again. The Villans are currently 10th in the Premier League table with 22 points to their credit, not very far away from European spots as it stands.
If they can get a few positive results over the next three weeks, there is a possibility for them to further their cause in this regard.
