Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard is confident his side can eradicate the inconsistencies of last season and finish in the top half of the Premier League.
After an initial upturn in results following Gerrard’s autumn appointment, Villa slumped in the second half of last term and eventually finished 14th.
Villa have signed Philippe Coutinho on a permanent basis and added Boubacar Kamara, Diego Carlos and Ludwig Augustinsson to their squad and Gerrard is looking upwards. “We’re very much looking forward and trying to improve our league position and finish in the top half, we want to have positive cup runs as well,” Gerrard said in his pre-match press conference ahead of the opener at Bournemouth. “We want to try and make our fans happy.
We’ve had a smooth pre-season, the application has been superb but now it’s for real. “I’m confident that we can improve on our inconsistencies last season, that’s the most important thing for me.” Gerrard has a doubt over Emiliano Buendia ahead of the trip to the south coast.