Coutinho was signed from Barcelona, where he was the record signing, but failed to become a regular in the starting eleven, initially on a loan that was made permanent this summer.
The 30-year-old made 19 appearances in the Premier League for Villa in the second half of the 2021/22 season, scoring five goals and laying on three assists.
Sutton believes that Gerrard’s biggest mistake has been to hang his hat on Coutinho, with the attacking midfielder struggling to replicate his form at the tail end of the last season.
Moreover, Sutton argued that the hope that the Villans would progress under Gerrard’s guidance has yet to materialise, with fans now beginning to turn against him.
Sutton pointed to the similarities between Gerrard’s record this season and Dean Smith’s at the time of his sacking last season.
“I do think it’s got to the stage at Villa, which is unfortunate for Steven Gerrard, where the bulk of the supporters are not having him”, Sutton said on The Monday Night Club.
“The Villa fans will be focusing more on the result than anything.
“They’ll be looking back at Dean Smith’s sacking, it was ten points from eleven games and this season it’s nine points from ten games.
“And the promise that Villa were going to progress under Steven Gerrard, that hasn’t materialised.
“I think the biggest downfall that he’s had – and I’m not advocating for Villa to sack Steven Gerrard – is that he’s hung his hat on Coutinho.
“He was the big signing, the guy who was going to change everything at Villa and he hasn’t turned up for him.”
Aston Villa are currently in 16th place in the Premier League table, with only one point separating them from 18th-placed Southampton and they travel to promoted Fulham looking to climb back up the table.
