Is Aston Villa’s Progress on the Pitch This Season Unravelling in 2021?

Concern Over Aston Villa in 2021

It’s like the Ghost of Last Season visited Aston Villa at the weekend, as they lost to Liverpool once again through an injury-time winner. Last season at Villa Park when Villa fell to an injury-time Liverpool sucker punch, Jack Grealish was absent, ditto this time around at Anfield. Not only did Villa lose the points though, they also lost Trezeguet for the rest of the season, after he picked up a knee injury that now requires surgery.

It seems the positive momentum from the start of the season has long been lost, as Villa suffered from poor game management, sloppy and casual passing, and a distinct lack of decisive intent.

The previous week’s nine-minute spell against Fulham, that served up three goals from impressive assists, showcased the players haven’t totally forgotten their cutting edge from earlier in the season. There is hope, but such belief and confidence in their play has to be harnessed more often.

What will the effects be on next season, if Villa end the season in the lower half of the table? Will it still be considered big progress considering the money spent, or will it be a case of missed opportunity?

The game at Anfield ultimately had to be added to the increasing number of games in 2021, that will be considered dropped points, that have led us down a road that has seen newly promoted Leeds United jump ahead of Villa in the table.

Excuse Culture

Perspective of where Villa were last season or the season before can’t excuse slackness and a drop in standards in terms of executing the fundamentals on the pitch. All it does is create an excuse culture that could ultimately threaten future ambition.

Being content with simply finishing above 17th, after the team had proved it could do more, is a slippery path to being happy to make up the numbers in the Premier League. The owner’s huge outlay on Villa so far, suggests they want more than that, as will Villa’s key players.

On the latest My Old Man Said podcast show, as well as catching up on the Liverpool game and latest Villa news, including the reality of the hype over a Villa Park expansion, we look at the incoming Premier League teams planned boycott of social media, the disbanding of the Hillsborough Group and an 11-year-old Liberian prodigy mixing it up in his national men’s league.

This week’s underrated or overrated is former Villa and Liverpool striker Milan Baros.

Enjoy

UTV

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Credits:

David Michael – @oldmansaid 

Chris Budd – @BUDD_music

Phillip Shaw – @prsgame

My Old Man Said – https://myoldmansaid.com

Editor/Producer – David Michael

Music – Philip Marten

1 COMMENT

  1. I have a very distinct feeling that if we get pumped by City come wednesday it will be curtains for the rest of the season which means venturing back into fixing the management role, the players are far to inconsistent to say the least which tells me there’s a communication lapse somewhere between the management group and the players. Someone please tell me I’m wrong ?

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