Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard admits he's an admirer of Southampton.
Gerrard is full of praise for the job being done at Southampton by Ralph Hasenhuttl, but also of the support he has received from the club's board in more testing times, most notably after the 9-0 defeats to Leicester and Manchester United.
“It's a classic case of an ownership at Southampton that's really backed the manager, given him time and shown patience, and with that time he's developed an identity and a style which the players look used to at the moment," Gerrard added.
“They're playing some really exciting, free-flowing football and pressing high, which is a model that Ralph likes to implement.
“I can only pay Southampton and their manager the utmost respect and congratulate them on their season so far. My job is to try and put an end to that run.
“We want to make it about Aston Villa tomorrow and about us executing the game plan that we want and, for me, good runs in football make me really excited to have the opportunity to try and put that to an end."
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