Philippe Coutinho told to apologize to Steven Gerrard after Aston Villa sacking
Philippe Coutinho has been told he will have to apologize to Steven Gerrard after he was sacked from Aston Villa.
Gerrard was sacked following Villa's 3-0 loss to Fulham on Thursday which left them 17th in the Premier League after just two wins in their first 11 games of the season.
Coutinho was loaned out in January and was impressed enough to be handed a permanent contract this summer.
But his performances since then, like those of the majority of his teammates, have dropped significantly, with the Brazilian failing to register a goal or an assist this season.
And Villa's top scorer in the Premier League, Gabby Agbonlahor, says Coutinho owes Gerrard an apology for his performance.
He told talkSPORT: "Coutinho was his man and he didn't play for him. Coutinho owes an apology to Gerrard, to me, for the way he played, Gerrard supported him."
He added: "The formation wasn't working, he wanted the full-backs to have the width, but it wasn't working. He got rid of all the wingers, and that annoyed the fans a bit.< /p>
"We became predictable and boring and with too many balls in the box where the strikers weren't going to win headers. The tactics were poor and it was only a matter of time. impose in Europe, not fight against relegation."
Villa have since beaten Brentford 4-0 while waiting to name Gerrard's permanent successor, and Alan Shearer believes some of the players 'didn't like' Gerrard.
"To me it seemed like one or two didn't like the manager, didn't like the way he was playing and they looked a lot freer today," Shearer said.
p>"You would think that if Steven Gerrard is watching this wherever he is, then he's looking back and thinking, 'God, why couldn't we have this last week?'
"But the manager left and he (Danks) made some changes. Ditched the captain - big decision - and everyone seemed freer today."
Speaking after the win over Brentford, first-team coach Aaron Danks, who took charge on an interim basis, said: "It's been a rollercoaster of a few days but I've focused only on today's match.
"For me, I have been asked to step up and lead the team with a group of employees, we will continue to do so until told otherwise.
"It's tomorrow morning, we'll recover well, we'll review today's game, we'll start preparing for Newcastle and whenever something changes, it will change, but until then we carry on to think about the future and move forward.
"I didn't even think about it (long term), I joined the club as a coach and to be part of a growth project, to help the club move forward .
"This club is steeped in tradition and history, they have a fantastic academy and we just want this club to grow and move. For me, there is a long term goal in this football club and what whatever role I play in it."
Philippe Coutinho has been told he will have to apologize to Steven Gerrard after he was sacked from Aston Villa.
Gerrard was sacked following Villa's 3-0 loss to Fulham on Thursday which left them 17th in the Premier League after just two wins in their first 11 games of the season.
Coutinho was loaned out in January and was impressed enough to be handed a permanent contract this summer.
But his performances since then, like those of the majority of his teammates, have dropped significantly, with the Brazilian failing to register a goal or an assist this season.
And Villa's top scorer in the Premier League, Gabby Agbonlahor, says Coutinho owes Gerrard an apology for his performance.
He told talkSPORT: "Coutinho was his man and he didn't play for him. Coutinho owes an apology to Gerrard, to me, for the way he played, Gerrard supported him."
He added: "The formation wasn't working, he wanted the full-backs to have the width, but it wasn't working. He got rid of all the wingers, and that annoyed the fans a bit.< /p>
"We became predictable and boring and with too many balls in the box where the strikers weren't going to win headers. The tactics were poor and it was only a matter of time. impose in Europe, not fight against relegation."
Villa have since beaten Brentford 4-0 while waiting to name Gerrard's permanent successor, and Alan Shearer believes some of the players 'didn't like' Gerrard.
"To me it seemed like one or two didn't like the manager, didn't like the way he was playing and they looked a lot freer today," Shearer said.
p>"You would think that if Steven Gerrard is watching this wherever he is, then he's looking back and thinking, 'God, why couldn't we have this last week?'
"But the manager left and he (Danks) made some changes. Ditched the captain - big decision - and everyone seemed freer today."
Speaking after the win over Brentford, first-team coach Aaron Danks, who took charge on an interim basis, said: "It's been a rollercoaster of a few days but I've focused only on today's match.
"For me, I have been asked to step up and lead the team with a group of employees, we will continue to do so until told otherwise.
"It's tomorrow morning, we'll recover well, we'll review today's game, we'll start preparing for Newcastle and whenever something changes, it will change, but until then we carry on to think about the future and move forward.
"I didn't even think about it (long term), I joined the club as a coach and to be part of a growth project, to help the club move forward .
"This club is steeped in tradition and history, they have a fantastic academy and we just want this club to grow and move. For me, there is a long term goal in this football club and what whatever role I play in it."
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