Steven Gerrard is coming under increasing pressure at Aston Villa.
The club entered the Premier League season with hopes that a full pre-season and a decent transfer window under their new manager would allow them to compete higher up the division. However, the signs have not been promising at this early stage in the campaign.
The club have lost three of their first four league fixtures, with defeats coming against Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, and West Ham. For each of those three sides, the win against Aston Villa has been their only victory of the season.
Perhaps even more worrying than the results, the performances in each of those fixtures has been absolutely dire. That culminated in the 1-0 loss to West Ham yesterday, with boos ringing around Villa Park on the final whistle.
Micah Richards says Steven Gerrard needs time at Aston Villa
It is likely that Steven Gerrard's job could be in jeopardy if this run of form continues, something that seemed incredibly unlikely only a few weeks ago.
In saying that, Micah Richards believes that getting rid of him would be a mistake.
Writing in his column for the BBC, the pundit said that Aston Villa must give the 42-year old time as he possesses the right characteristics to turn things around.
I'm a firm believer that fans have every right to voice frustration if their team dip below the levels expected, but I thought the reaction at the end of Aston Villa's home defeat by West Ham on Sunday was a little bit over the top.
The Premier League season is four games old. If Villa are still performing with as little confidence as they showed against West Ham after 10 or 15 games, then I would be concerned.
Make no mistake, these are testing times for Steven Gerrard and my old club Villa. But I believe he will turn it around and the boos that rang out at Villa Park after a third defeat in four games will be a distant memory...
People will say "you're going to back Gerrard and Villa because it's your former team". It's nothing to do with that. I do think he is up to the task but things are not quite clicking and, as Gerrard said after his side's latest defeat, he needs wins fast...
Villa Park is a difficult place when you are not doing well and, against West Ham, the home side gave their fans little to get excited about
Everything seemed laboured and too slow. It was frustrating. Villa are lacking something and Gerrard needs to find what it is as soon as possible.
If they do not get anything from Arsenal or Manchester City then the pressure is on...
The problems are mounting but knowing Gerrard, he will be doing everything in his power to put things right.
He's an incredible man and he certainly motivated me when I played alongside him for England.
With games against Arsenal and Manchester City on the horizon, it could be a while before things improve for Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa.
By the time the game against Leicester City rolls around on September 10th, the pressure could well and truly be on.
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