Steven Gerrard’s time as Aston Villa manager came to an end on October 20th, less than a year after he was appointed as Dean Smith’s successor at Villa Park.
After collecting nine points from their first 11 matches, the Villans decided to show the former Rangers manager the exit door.
Aston Villa appointed Unai Emery as Gerrard’s successor and the Spaniard has guided them to two wins in the league. This has seen them climb to 12th spot in the table after 15 matches.
Ludwig Augustinsson is of the belief Gerrard alone should not be blamed for Aston Villa’s poor start to this season. Fotbollskanalen interviewed the left-back and he made this claim when asked how he reacted to the managerial change at the Premier League side.
“I’ve been around for a while. You adjust quite quickly and try to learn how the new coach wants to play. Then it’s always sad when someone gets fired, because it’s not just Gerrard’s fault. We players could have performed much better,” he said.
On the former Arsenal manager’s appointment, the 28-year-old explained: “It is difficult to say this early, but I have had a very positive impression of Unai. You notice that he is a top coach who has an incredible amount of experience. I have already learned a lot from him. For me, it’s about taking every chance I get and working hard.”
The Sweden international joined Aston Villa from Sevilla on a loan deal in the summer. He was expected to enjoy minutes when Lucas Digne picked up an injury but was unable to do so because he also suffered an injury setback.
“It was really bad timing. I knew at Villa that I would have to work hard at the beginning to be able to play,” Augustinsson explained.
“I was supposed to play one game early, but missed it because I got a knock, then I went away with the national team, played the two games, came back and played. But then I suffered an injury.”
The fullback has admitted he has not yet held talks with Emery over his role at Aston Villa this season.
“We haven’t talked about it. It’s just about proving yourself. When you get the chance, you have to do it well. Then the chances will appear,” the Swede stressed.
“There will be many matches so he will need the whole squad. Sometimes you need to change because someone is tired or worn out. There will be many matches so we will have to rotate.”
