BY LEIGH CURTIS
Steven Gerrard’s reign as Aston Villa manager got off to the perfect start after his side overcame Brighton in his first game in charge.
Villa secured a 2-0 win over the Seagulls to end a run of five straight defeats in the Premier League as goals from Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings sealed the victory.
But it was the performance of Marvelous Nakamba that caught the eye of the supporters after he completed 27 of his 28 passes in what was a solid display by Gerrard’s side.
And now fans are hoping Gerrad can tease the best out of the Zimbabwe international as they rushed to laud his display on social media.
Here’s what the fans had to say on Twitter.
Tom Ellis: “This is where Dean struggled to utilize Nakamba, he’s generally done the basics very well. Asking him to progress the ball is too much.”
Kevin Hughes: “He’s never going to be pinging 30-yard diagonals, but if you want a DM to sit and cover, he’s fine. This is why I wasn’t on board with the summer calls for a ‘DM’. We have one, just not often used. A better quality CM, sure, but that’s a different conversation IMO.”
T2 Mardy Bum: “He kept possession of the ball. Not once did I see him choose not to pay forward if a forward pass was on. Playing sideways and backwards is necessary at times. Bad players try to force passes that aren’t there.”
Ashley Buswell: “He really surprised me looked much more assured on the ball that’s what a good shape does for a player.”
Bez : “Been saying for weeks, someone needs to get in his ear and tell him to just make a simple 5-yard pass when he gets the ball. Don’t try anything more ambitious. Did that today and he was good.”
Emi1: “Hopefully Gerrard can get a bit more from him.” – Birmingham Live