Fans were incredible but this club cannot finish 14th again, claims Steven Gerrard
Gerrard comments on the need for improvement
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Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has thanked the club’s supporters for their unwavering support this campaign although he acknowledged that his side has to aspire for more and finish higher than 14th. The Midland club could only manage to secure a 1-1 draw against Burnley at home on Thursday.
Burnley travelled to Aston Villa to play a high-stakes encounter that was set to determine their chances of survival at the end of the season. Villa made a bright start to life at Villa Park in their final home game of the season as John McGinn unleashed a curling effort in the 17th minute onto goal, although Nick Pope was on hand to deny the midfielder.
The Clarets were awarded a penalty for a foul on Maxwel Cornet by Emiliano Buendia. Ashley Barnes stepped up and slotted his spotkick confidently to hand his side the lead. Burnley were unable to hold onto the lead for long as Buendia struck an excellent first-time effort from inside the box in the 48th minute.
The home side were the better team in the second half as they constantly threatened the Clarets goal although Pope was equal to all the shots attempted. Villa players took a celebratory lap around their stadium to appreciate the efforts of their supporters although manager Gerrard acknowledged that the Midlands club have to improve in the future.
"We are 14th in the league and we've just given a lap of honour and our fans were incredible. Moving forward, this club cannot finish 14th again. We need to change things and come back better and stronger next season. We need to have more quality and answers. The first part of the job was to stay safe but we wanted to finish in the top half. Moving forward we need to improve in a lot of departments. We need to recruit well,” Gerrard told Sky Sports.Â
"We will try and give it our best shot and make our supporters proud on the last day of the season. We'll try and make it as difficult for Manchester City,” he added.
