Philippe Coutinho owes Steven Gerrard an apology following his performances for this season, according to Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Gerrard was sacked immediately after Villa’s 3-0 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage on Thursday evening, following a run of just two wins from 11 Premier League games this season.
Coutinho, meanwhile, joined Villa in January and made an immediate impact under Gerrard, who played an influential role in his decision to join from Barcelona.
But the Brazilian’s form has faded this season and he has no goals or assists after Villa made his move from Barcelona permanent for £17 million in May.
‘Coutinho was his man and he didn’t perform for him,’ Agbonlahor told .
‘Coutinho owes Gerrard an apology for me for the way he performed, Gerrard backed him.’
Agbonlahor also believes Gerrard’s tactical decisions contributed to his departure at Villa.
‘The formation wasn’t working, he wanted the full-backs to have the width but it wasn’t working. He [Gerrard], got rid of all the wingers, and that annoyed fans a bit,’ Agbonlahor said.
‘We became predictable and boring and with too many balls into the box where the strikers were not going to win the headers.
‘The tactics were poor and it was just a matter of time. Aston Villa want to push into Europe, not be fighting relegation.’
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