Steven Gerrard in 'sad' situation as former Aston Villa boss hits shock low

The pressure is mounting on Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq after his side suffered a shock exit from the Saudi Cup at the hands of a second-division team on Wednesday night.

They were beaten 3-1 by lower league outfit Al-Jabalain to exit the King Cup at the last-16 stage, which has led to questions being asked of Gerrard's position by fans and journalists in Saudi. The former Aston Villa head coach is now 16 months into his tenure at Al-Ettifaq and led them to a sixth-placed finish last term.

Without a league win since mid-September, Gerrard's side are currently sitting in 10th place in the Saudi Pro League. They are five points out of the relegation zone after failing to win in the league in over six weeks.

READ | Micky van de Ven injury update as two more Tottenham players doubts for Aston Villa

READ | Tyrone Mings shows what Aston Villa have missed as Boubacar Kamara causes Unai Emery headache

Saudi-based pundit Nasser Al-Jedaie was critical of the Liverpool legend's management, as the Daily Mail report him saying: "Gerrard served Al-Ettifaq outside the field, but there are no results for the technical work. What is the project that Gerrard is leading?"

They add that sports journalist Mohammed Al-Sadaan branded Gerrard's situation 'sad' and urged him to step down, while Turki Al-Ajmah also believes his time is up at Al-Ettifaq.

He has taken charge of 46 games at Al-Ettifaq, and currently has a record of 17 wins, 15 losses and 14 draws.

Gerrard joined Al-Ettifaq in July 2023, nine months after he was sacked by Villa for only winning two of the club's first 11 league games in 2022/23. He only won eight of the 31 matches he took charge of from the start of 2023 until he was sacked in late October.

The latest Villa headlines sent straight to your phone

Join our Aston Villa WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click on this link and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. It's a free service. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from our Villa writers.

We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Villa news. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click 'Exit Group'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. Click here to read our Privacy Notice