So far I still expect Aston Villa to be stronger under Gerrard, because at the time of Gerrard's arrival last season Aston Villa looked to be making promising progress this season.
I don't think so, or rather imo i didn't notice any sort of improvement for Aston Villa since Gerrard arrived as manager, they have been unconvincing and have struggled continuously, Gerrard's record as Villa boss isn't all that impressive too, IIRC he has managed around 35 premier league games and has lost 16 of them, that is not an encouraging record and that is why Villa have never been comfortable on the table since he has been manager, they have 8 points this season, just four more than the team in rock bottom, we might see them in that position sooner or later.
True, Gerrard has not been able to make any significant changes, with their current position proving that Gerraad has not been able to improve the team. Maybe this match they are favored because it will be against a bad team and are at the bottom of the table, Nottingham Forest. I still doubt his performance will be able to make Aston Villa even better, with his performance like that. Maybe this is a factor in the players in the team or indeed his ability has not been able to do extraordinary things.