Five things Steven Gerrard needs to achieve to be a success at Aston Villa

Having taken the controversial decision to sack Dean Smith, Aston Villa were quick to identify their replacement, and in all likelihood had Steven Gerrard in the back of their minds for some time. Former Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow almost certainly has, and was the key driver in the decision to hand the former Reds legend the job.

Much has been made as to whether it's a step in the right direction for Gerrard, or indeed an unnecessary gamble given the relative comfort he rightly earned in the Rangers job, but the lure of the Premier League proved too strong. Not just that, but Villa are widely perceived to be under performing relative to the quality of their squad, and the ambition is there from the owners to fund a genuine push for European football.

This side are a long way off that on present form, but did spend large periods of last season in the mix before tailing away. While injury to Jack Grealish played a part, in reality it was something of a regression to the mean after an outstanding start to the season. However, the Villa board have made it clear that regression won't be tolerated.

Here are five things Gerrard must do in order to turn Villa's fortunes around and set them on the path for bigger and better things...

Pack the midfield

While Dean Smith was able to turn around Villa's dire defensive record during project restart by sacrificing attacking intent, his ability to balance the two last season was perhaps a little misleading. While Villa kept the third most clean sheets in the league, they were heavily reliant on the heroics of Emi Martinez in goal along with some admirable last ditch defending but in truth were porous defensively.

Only five teams conceded more shots, while only Leeds and Tottenham outperformed their xG against to a greater degree than Villa. Their shots conceded per game is only marginally higher this season (14.5) than last (14.2), but a drop off in form from the entire backline, with the possible exception of Matty Cash, has meant they are shipping goals at an alarming rate.

The issue beyond this season has been the protection, or lack thereof, that the defence has received. In Villa's four matches in which they have fielded a two-man midfield this season they have lost all four, conceding 10 goals. Smith was severely hamstrung by injuries, with the latest to Douglas Luiz a particular hammer blow, but the positional discipline of the entire midfield has been found wanting throughout his reign.

Given Gerrard's propensity to lineup in a 4-3-3 formation with Rangers, he'd be wise to stick to that system, but it does mean upsetting some big name players in attack...

Focus on a functioning attack

Following the sale of Jack Grealish in the summer, Villa CEO Purslow recorded a video that detailed their strategy to replace their star man. Quite rightly acknowledging that it would be impossible to replace or replicate his influence in one player, he detailed the identification of three that could compensate for the loss of such a pivotal figure.

It was a video that was praised at the time for its transparency, but the logic already seems flawed. Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings were said trio, but the fact that the former pair like to play in the same position - albeit in a very different way - and the latter would be in direct competition with arguably Villa's second strongest outfielder behind Grealish - Ollie Watkins - always appeared confusing.

Again, injuries have played a huge part in ensuring that Villa's reasoning can't really be judged just yet, but accommodating two of the three alongside Watkins, let alone all of them has been problematic already. Ings will be back after the break and is a player Gerrard will know well from their playing days together at Anfield, while Watkins was always the first name on the teamsheet under Smith. The likelihood that either will have to play from a wider role than they would like is something Gerrard will need to convince them of.

His front three tended to play relatively narrow at Rangers, with the onus on the full-backs to bomb on and deliver from wide areas. On paper, a trio of Buendia, Ings and Watkins would look the most natural in terms of replicating that approach, but adopting such a tactic with a dominant Rangers side compared to a struggling Villa one would certainly be a risk, and again heaps more pressure on the organisation of that midfield.

Prove his adaptability

As mentioned, while the stature of the clubs have been compared and debated over the past few days, there is no question that the job he is taking on at Villa is wildly different to the one he embarked upon at Rangers. While Gerrard deserves huge credit for a record-breaking title campaign to put Gers back on top of the Scottish Premiership tree last season, for the vast majority of his reign the team faced a low defensive block.

Much has been made of Gerrard's liking for attacking, possession-based football, but in truth any Rangers side is likely to see a lot of the ball in advanced areas compared to their opponents in Scotland's top-flight. It's a very different story at Aston Villa. Smith built a side that are neither a possession-based unit or a defensive, counter-attacking one in reality. Stamping his identity on the side will be top of Gerrard's priorities, but doing so whilst recognising the limitations of his squad and the vast increase in quality of the opposition is the hard part.

Perhaps the most encouraging thing for Villa fans in that regard was Gerrard's navigation of a tricky Europa League group last season, going unbeaten against the likes of Benfica, Standard Liege and Lech Poznan. Rangers' average of over 62 per cent possession in the league since the start of last season understandably drops to just over 50 per cent in Europe, so Gerrard has experience of adapting his philosophy when necessary. He'll need to call on that to cut it in a fiercely competitive Premier League.

Don't say the 'L' word

Rarely, if ever, has a player in the Premier League had such an affinity with a single club than Steven Gerrard with Liverpool. It is common knowledge that the Anfield hot seat is the job Gerrard craves but playing down that link within the playing staff and particularly with the fan base will be important, even if it seems redundant.

Treating the Aston Villa job as an audition or short term stepping stone isn't something that will appease the Villa fans, who will rightly demand 100 per cent dedication to their club. It's a near impossible job, with a trip to Anfield on the horizon in December, but distancing himself from the club he loves for the time being is essential. Signing terms on a two-and-a-half year deal that coincidentally expires at the same time as Jurgen Klopp's current contract isn't exactly the ideal start.

Match the owners ambitions

The key to the success of any manager is to live up to the ambitions of the owners, and there aren't many that are more ambitious than Villa's right now. Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens have pumped a huge amount of money into all aspects of the club and understandably, if perhaps a little naively at times, expect fast results. CEO Purslow has constantly cited the need for continuous progression with every season, which seems reasonable but extenuating circumstances often make it extremely difficult to achieve.

The remit for Smith at the start of the season was to qualify for Europe in some guise, even in the form of the Europa Conference League. After a difficult start, while that will remain the ambition it's likely that the hierarchy would accept any progress on last season's 11th placed finish. In truth, Gerrard is likely to be cut some slack by Purslow in particular given the latter's insistence that the man he knew as a player whilst at Liverpool is the manager to achieve Villa's immediate goals.

The objective beyond this season will then, in no uncertain terms, be European qualification. There's no question Gerrard will be given all the resources required to achieve that feat, but there are a lot of teams between Villa and the top six that he will need to surpass in a short space of time. It's an enviable job to be in given the scope for improvement, facilities and funds available. The ceiling is far from low as far as the owners and the fans are concerned, but this is not a job for the faint hearted...