Aston Villa's Champions League return ends in disappointment

Gerrard's side fail to make an impact

Aston Villa's return to the Champions League after a 12-year absence ended in disappointment as they were eliminated in the group stage. Steven Gerrard's side finished bottom of Group E, with just three points from their six matches.

Villa's struggles

Villa were outplayed in most of their group matches, and they were only able to score three goals in total. Their only win came against Dinamo Zagreb, and they also drew with Atalanta. However, they were well beaten by Manchester City and Real Madrid in their other matches.

Gerrard's future

The disappointing Champions League campaign has led to question marks over Gerrard's future. The former Liverpool and England captain has been in charge of Villa for just over a year, but he has not been able to improve the team's fortunes.

Villa are currently 16th in the Premier League, and they have only won two of their last seven matches. Gerrard will need to turn things around quickly if he wants to keep his job.

The future of Villa

The Champions League elimination is a blow to Villa's hopes of challenging for major trophies. The club has not won a major trophy since the League Cup in 1996, and they are now unlikely to add to that tally this season.

However, the experience of playing in the Champions League will be valuable for Villa's young players. The club has a number of talented youngsters, and they will have learned a lot from playing against some of the best teams in Europe.

Villa will now focus on trying to improve their league form. They have a tough run of fixtures coming up, but they will need to start picking up points if they want to avoid a relegation battle.