Steven Gerrard warns against Aston Villa complacency ahead of Watford test
Steven Gerrard has warned Villa’s players against complacency after admitting it will take time to transform his team into serious challengers for European football.
The boss was set to make changes for Saturday’s visit of Watford after a run of just one win in six matches which culminated in last weekend’s dire 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.
A much-praised January transfer window, which saw 12th-placed Villa recruit Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho, sparked hopes of a charge up the table during the second half of the season.
But Gerrard insists the primary aim is to avoid being sucked back into trouble at the bottom.
He said: “It is very easy in this area of the league to think you are OK. It is very easy to take your eye off the ball and become complacent, like we did last week.
“We have to be extremely careful. We are not in a place or a position where we can disrespect any opponent and think we can just turn up.
“We have to treat every game with focus and importance and be the best version of ourselves. That is the only way we are going to progress in the short-term.”
The long-term ambition for both the manager and the club’s hierarchy is getting back into Europe and Gerrard, who took over with Villa two clear of the bottom three, knows patience will be required.
Though the boss held back on Friday when asked if some players might be playing for their futures over the season’s final 15 matches, the run-in will be important in determining the club’s strategy in the summer window.
"We're analysing every minute of every day,” said Gerrard. “We're learning a lot about the players: when we win we're learning a lot. When we draw we're learning a lot, and when we don't get the result we want.
"(Europe) is the long-term ambition and the long-term goal. How quickly we can close that gap, how quickly we can achieve that ambition, time will tell.
"But we have to focus on the now and the reality and the reality is we are 12th in the Premier League and to finish in the European places there is a gap.
"So we have to do everything we can in the short-term - and focus on the short-term to improve the group.
"We've got to keep building the group and, at every opportunity we can, get stronger. And if everyone shares the ambition of the owners I can't see why we can't achieve it.
"It would be naive of me to put a time frame on that. I would love it to happen this season. I would love it to happen next season.
"But there's a process and we have to worry about the now and focus on the challenges which are right in front of us because it's too soon, right now, to be focusing on Europe."
