Tricky times for Villa

Friday, 25/11/2011

by Steven Green, Shoot's Aston Villa blogger

On Monday night Villa received a lesson from Tottenham in how to play football. It was an agonizing ninety minutes of just sheer expectation; expectation of the worst kind in fearing a rout. It highlighted the fact that we are nowhere near the side we were just a few short years ago.

It’s becoming an increasingly frustrating story this season and one could be forgiven in thinking that Alex McLeish is doing this on purpose. Every game he sets the team up embarrassingly wrong by refusing to play wingers on the wing, strikers in midfield and not dropping out of form players.

What’s also baffling is the lack of heart the players show. Against Spurs the only player who looked interested was Chris Herd, the rest looked completely out of sorts. It says a lot about a team when the only player giving it his all is a player just promoted from the youth team.

At first glance at the team sheet on Monday I was hoping for a return back to the 5-3-2 formation - used so well during Brian Little’s time in charge but ‘Big Eck’ had placed Alan Hutton in midfield and Carlos Cuellar at right back – a position which we all know the latter is uncomfortable with.

Villa were guilty of showing Spurs too much respect. By putting two players on Gareth Bale we surrendered any attacking nuances down the right flank and over on the left was Emile Heskey, no need for explanation there!

A tricky festive period is coming up starting this Sunday at Swansea and either McLeish goes all out and places an emphasis on attack (because we do still have an attack) and goes for a result or we fans prepare ourselves for an even hairier experience than last season.

With Lerner now staying out and the management sending out youth players left, right and centre money will need to be spent in January. We lack creativity in midfield as well as someone who can keep the ball well and in defence we need a centre back who is comfortable with the ball at his feet. This is probably wishful thinking but if these players are bought then we could be back on track.

Don’t hold your breath though, McLeish is proving to be a stubborn character; his current formula isn’t working yet he is showing no signs of change.

He isn’t doing himself any favours by failing to mix things up, he’s clear he’s come wanting to do his own thing, and that is understandable but for his own job security and the happiness of a hell of a lot of people he simply must revise his style.

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