Coutinho and Ramsey can take Aston Villa into Europe

Coutinho

In Phillipe Coutinho and Jacob Ramsey, Steven Gerrard has two players who could get his managerial career with Aston Villa off to a pulsating start. Of course, the ex-Rangers boss has enjoyed a degree of success since taking over at Villa Park having won five of his eleven games in charge, but being able to call upon the experienced Brazilian and exciting Englishman could see Villa push for European qualification in the near future.

Top Ten Finish On The Cards?

Realistically, one would have to conclude that a sustained European charge would only really be possible next season with Villa more likely to secure a top ten finish at best during this current campaign. At least, this is what the latest football betting odds reveal with Gerrard’s men currently priced at odds of 4/6 for a top-half finish.

On the other hand, the most recent football betting tips today don’t predict that Villa will get dragged into any relegation fight either with the club at long odds of 225/1 to go down.

These prices may well lead you to think that Aston Villa’s season will ultimately peter out with little to play for but Gerrard’s appointment will ensure that doesn’t happen. Indeed, the 41-year-old has been tasked with taking Villa into Europe with the Europa League the specific tournament that the Villa Park hierarchy expects this squad to challenge for. With this in mind, you can expect Gerrard to begin to build a team that is capable of upsetting the status quo in English football over the closing chapters of the season.

Leading the line during this process will undoubtedly be Coutinho and Ramsey who showed how devastating they can be during a 3-3 thriller against Leeds United. Significantly, their understanding was almost telepathic as the Brazilian set up both of Ramsey’s goals in free-flowing moves that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a team under Pep Guardiola. In particular, Coutinho’s perfectly weighted through ball to Ramsey for Villa’s second would have left many in Villa Park speechless.

Indeed, it was one of those goals that match-day goers would spend hours watching back when they got home to appreciate the unique understanding between these two from a different vantage point.

Perhaps unsurprisingly and following that performance, Gerrard would go on to say that Ramsey had now done enough to earn an England call-up from Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate. Few would disagree with the Villa manager’s take and even the most ardent Birmingham City fan would admit that their rivals have unearthed a player that has the potential to bring the Premier League to its knees over the course of time.

Furthermore, with the help of the experienced Coutinho and management of Premier League legend Gerrard, Ramsey’s early footballing education at Villa will be one of the best he could have hoped for.

When all is said and done, there can be little doubt that this Aston Villa team is one of the league’s most exciting prospects, and the 2022/2023 season should be one of the most thrilling that their supporters have seen in many moons as their two frontmen tear the opposition defences apart.