Aston Villa have had a dreadful start to the new season.placeholder image
Aston Villa have had a dreadful start to the new season. | AFP via Getty Images
Aston Villa have failed to score in any of their opening four matches
Aston Villa’s winless and goalless start to the league season continued in an uninspiring 0-0 draw against Everton in their first ever visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. It means that the West Midlands side have now failed to score in any of their opening four league games for the first time in their history. In contrast, by this time last season they had already managed to find the net seven times.
But it’s not just the lack of goals that is the concern at Villa Park at this moment in time. The club also seem to lack creativity and at this moment are creating both fewer and worse quality chances than they were at this stage last season. And former Aston Villa chief scout Mick Brown feels it’s only a matter of time before people start to turn against Unai Emery despite the credit in the bank he currently holds from his successful tenure so far.
Mick Brown claims pressure is building on Unai Emery
Ex-Aston Villa scout Mick Brown claims it will only be a matter of time before Unai Emery finds his position in jeopardy if he can’t quickly turn the team’s fortunes around.
He told Football Insider: “Emery has a lot of credit in the bank at Aston Villa.But then the question is, how long do you give him? They’ve gone four games without a win and without a goal, so what happens if that’s five? Then six? Then seven?
“At some point, they’re going to have to make a decision about his future if things don’t improve.If you start the season and after four games you still haven’t won a game, there is always going to be pressure building on your job, whoever you are.
“Emery still has the support of the board at Villa because he’s been very successful there, they’ve built a good thing and he’s taken them to competing in Europe. But the problem is in football, that good will can only last so long until questions are being asked about why the team isn’t performing any more.”
Unai Emery’s chances of being sacked are low - opinion
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa team have experienced a tough start to the season which has been disrupted by a difficult transfer window and off-the-field PSR issues. However, they were able to keep the bulk of their squad intact, with Emiliano Martinez staying despite major interest from Manchester United - and the likes of Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers also remaining with the team.
The new signings of Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho should provide the team with a boost while there’s also strong hope that Evann Guessand can make a mark after scoring 12 league goals for OGC Nice last term.
Ultimately, Emery has taken Aston Villa away from a relegation battle and led the team up the table to secure European qualification in three successive seasons. He still has enough credit in the bank to prove he can turn things around and should be given time to prove himself.
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