Aston Villa: Watkins and Ings 'loved' £33m star's impact vs Newcastle

Aston Villa have not been consistent enough under Steven Gerrard, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Villans thrashed Southampton 4-0 on Saturday, but Jones thinks they have struggled to play at a high level regularly since Gerrard arrived at the club in November.

Gerrard got off to a bright start at Villa Park by winning four of his first six league games at the helm. His side’s two defeats during this period came against the current top two, Manchester City and Liverpool, and Villa pushed both teams close before losing by one-goal margins.

Villa’s form dipped after Christmas, though, as they went on a run of just one win in seven top-flight matches, while they were also knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United.

Just as it looked like they might get dragged into a potential relegation battle, the side have turned things around by winning their last two games against Brighton and Southampton without conceding a goal.

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Villa’s performance against Southampton was arguably their best of the season to date, with Barcelona loanee Philippe Coutinho, who has a buy-out clause of £33m, running the show in midfield.

Barclay has suggested that the side have not played this well often enough over the past few months.

Speaking initially about Villa’s display in their win over Southampton, Barclay told GIVEMESPORT: “Obviously, when Coutinho plays like that, it helps. I think Watkins and Ings loved it, so we got a good taste of what Villa are like at their very best when they want to produce these long spells of high-level play. We haven’t seen enough of it yet.”

This is the challenge that is facing Gerrard at Villa, and it won’t be an easy one to