Alan Shearer TV presenter & former footballer looks on
Alan Shearer has warned Arsenal ahead of their clash against Liverpool
All-time Premier League top goalscorer Alan Shearer has drawn comparisons between Unai Emery's Aston Villa side and Newcastle United's team from last season.
Speaking on Match of the Day 2, the 54-year-old pundit was quick to put the two teams side-to-side after Villa fell to a 3-0 defeat away to Chelsea.
"What happened to Newcastle last season with the schedule and the number of players that they’ve got is looking like the exact same thing is happening to Aston Villa this season," Shearer speculated.
The Villans are currently competing in the Champions League this season for the first time since 1983 after Emery led his side to an incredible fourth-placed finish in the previous campaign.
Similarly, Newcastle played in the Champions League last season for the first time in 20 years, finishing bottom of their group in the previous format and bowing out of the tournament, unable to secure European football again for this year after finishing seventh in the Premier League.
The Magpies suffered a multitude of injuries and, due to their lack of squad depth, underwent lengthened patches of poor form which ultimately meant a challenge on both a domestic and European level was not possible.
Despite the apparent similarities, though, there are notable differences. Newcastle went into their Champions League campaign without any form of European competition since 2012/13, however Villa played in the Europa Conference League last season, reaching the semi finals, and so the current players all have experience of balancing late-stage European competition with weekly Premier League action.
Furthermore, Emery's side have actually competed very well so far in the Champions League unlike the Magpies, picking up three win, a draw and a loss, only conceding one goal and memorably beating six-time winners Bayern Munich on the way.
However, the depth of the Villans' squad is appearing to be an issue as a lack of rotation is meaning that players are getting more worn out than their rivals.
"You see the change in what happened to Villa in the Champions League and the changes that Chelsea made," Shearer continued.
"I think Villa made two changes and Chelsea made 10 and you can tell in their performances today."
Both Villa and Chelsea had a fixture during the week before their clash at Stamford Bridge, the former drawing 0-0 with Italian giants Juventus and the Blues beating small German side Heidenheim 2-0 in the Conference League.
With much stronger depth and weaker European competition, Chelsea could afford to make their 10 changes to the starting line-up, resting their most important players. This clearly had an impact on proceedings on Sunday as Enzo Maresca's side dominated, keeping up their relentless pressure right up until the final stages.
The Villans' schedule does not let up as December begins, with seven more games to be played across the month, six in the Premier League and one in Europe.
With midweek games every week bar one, Emery's side will have to find a way to power through the physical strain whilst maintaining the quality needed to win on all fronts.
The next two games could be crucial with Brentford and Southampton both heading to Villa Park on Wednesday and Saturday. Both will be seen as must-win and perfect opportunities to end Villa's eight game winless run before another tough string of matches beginning immediately afterwards.
Is Shearer right with his comparison? Tell us here