Aston Villa's Philippe Coutinho and Jacob Ramsey ‘are pushing one another on’
They are the two players Villa fans are talking about for all the right reasons.
And manager Steven Gerrard believes Philippe Coutinho and Jacob Ramsey are bringing the best out of each other as they look to inspire their side to victory at Newcastle tomorrow.
The duo were sensational in Villa’s draw against Leeds on Wednesday with Coutinho pulling the strings and Ramsey netting an impressive brace – from sliderule passes from the Brazilian.
But it’s not just on the pitch where the players are clicking – with Coutinho and Ramsey also growing close off it as well.
“I think they help each other on and off the pitch,” Gerrard said. “They are two great guys. I think when Phil arrived, it got JJ (Ramsey) excited.
“And I think Phil seeing the talent in JJ, I think good players always connect and are on the same wavelength.
“Emi Buendia is in that mix as well. I think the good thing for me is that we have got (Leon) Bailey who is extremely close to returning now and being fit.
“Unfortunately we are going to lose Berto (Bertrand Traore) for a few weeks, he has got a hamstring injury on the back of the AFCON which I am frustrated about.
“But I think all our forward players – I think they should be excited to play with each other because there is a lot of talent there.
“The talent is there to build a team around and it’s going to be interesting to see how it pans out because people are fighting for shirts.
“It’s my job to make sure I pick the right people and get the right blend for the team.”
A unique talent, Coutinho has dazzled for Villa ever since arriving on loan from Barcelona.
And Gerrard believes it’s important he and his coaching staff continue to give the Brazilian a platform to showcase his quality.
“The reason we brought him in is because we believed he could have a major impact,” the boss said. “You have seen the connection with the supporters straight away.
“They have obviously seen the talent from afar at Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
“Now it’s down to us to keep Phil at this level, to keep him healthy and to keep giving him a platform to perform.
“We all want him to be able to express his talent.
“Let’s continue to enjoy him.”
While Villa impressed going forward against Leeds, they struggled defensively with all three of the goals they conceded easily preventable.
And Gerrard knows they have got to tighten up.
“In terms of the mentality and what the players put in – I’m extremely proud,” the boss added.
“We’ve got to be more mean defensively, we can’t give goals like that away.
“The goals from our point of view were poor.
“We need to tighten up and cut out the errors. We want to become more consistent from a defensive point of view.”
