Aston Villa Women take on Liverpool this weekend in hope of ending their seven-match winless run
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Aston Villa Womens manager Natalia Arroyo
Aston Villa Women manager Natalia Arroyo(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
Aston Villa Women are locked in a relegation fight with only five WSL games remaining this season.
Since Natalia Arroyo’s appointment at the end of January, Villa have lost all five of their league games, while beating Brighton in the Women’s FA Cup before being knocked out in the quarter-finals by Manchester City.
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Villa take on sixth-placed Liverpool on Sunday (2pm), sitting just one point above bottom side Crystal Palace.
Arroyo: I am just as scared as the players
Villa are in a perilous position in the league after losing 4-0 to Manchester United last weekend, which extended their winless run to seven matches.
Arroyo has been tasked with the challenge of instilling belief in Villa's players again, which has proved a real challenge.
"I want to stay in this country, I want to stay in this league and in this club. I want to do my best," Arroyo told BBC Sport.
"I am finding it frustrating because I want the players to be brave, and it's not the best moment for them to be brave.
"It's good to talk about that because I am just as scared as they are. I don't want to be the manager of a relegated team.
"But the reality is a possibility if we don't do our jobs. We are in the same boat, so we need to row harder, faster, and stronger to make it. I really believe we will make it."
Aston Villa Womens manager Natalia Arroyo
Aston Villa Womens manager Natalia Arroyo(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
She added: "If you are not winning, I cannot ask them to support us happily. I think they are trying their best.
"I can only say 'thank you for coming' because we are not even able to score, so I cannot ask them for anything. The only thing I can say is that we will work as hard as possible.
"I am pleased they understand we are struggling because, with their support, we will be stronger. We are not in the position we want, we are not in the position the club wants, and we are not in the position the fans deserve.
"This is the reality. I'm sorry. If they can make the next game, hopefully, they can celebrate with us. I see the players are committed and trying to learn. I am convinced we will make it."
Nobbs admits relegation battle is unfamiliar
Villa’s experienced midfielder Jordan Nobbs spoke with Sky Sports about the club’s surprise plight.
She admitted that many of Arroyo’s squad haven't been involved in relegation fights before, but she urges her teammates to stick together.
“It‘s tough,” Nobbs admitted. “We have to be honest that confidence is tough right now. We are in a situation that not many of us have been in before, so it is really hard.
“As footballers, none of us want to lose. We don’t go out to lose 4-0. We owe it to the fans to put in our best performances.
“It is a season which hasn’t gone our way, and these are tough moments. I think the message is that we still have enough games left to fight.
“It has not been the season that we wanted, but our aim now is to stay in the league and get the wins.”
She added: “It’s hard to explain because there’s nothing where you can just ‘change this’ and everything will be fine.
“There’s lots of staff and players working towards the same goal, but that doesn’t just mean that it all clicks into perfection.
“A lot of things come with it. It is more just people knowing that we don’t want to be in this situation.
“A few years ago, we got fifth, then eighth. This season just has not gone the way we wanted it to go.
“It is about sticking together now. There’s not much more to it, bar fighting as best as we can and sticking together as a team.”
Palace battling the drop with Villa
The defeat at Palace earlier this month was a body blow for Villa, who have, at least on paper, trickier games than the Eagles in the coming weeks.
Villa will play at home twice in their final five league games, but against second-placed Arsenal and then fifth-placed Brighton.
Away matches against Liverpool, Tottenham, and West Ham are also to come for Villa.
Palace, meanwhile, will host Arsenal, West Ham, and 10th-placed Leicester City, while playing away at Chelsea and Manchester City.
Former England midfielder Izzy Christiansen spoke about Villa’s form to Sky Sports last week.
"I've really struggled to understand what Aston Villa are trying to do,” she said. “The players look lost. I feel for the players right now and I don't want to be too harsh because I don't know what the root of the problems are.
"They're in this situation for a reason – the table doesn't lie. The manager has got to find the right words very carefully to motivate the team and get them on track because it could end up being a slippery slope for the football club."
On BBC 5 Live, former England international Laura Bassett added: "It's really surprising to see the downward spiral they have been on.
"I don't think the performances and the way they are competing has been bad, but there have been individual mistakes and a lack of belief.
"They have not been clinical and not scoring goals, so that can manifest psychologically, making it tough.
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"We haven't seen that [new manager] bounce, and I know a lot of players are out of contract at the end of the season too. In terms of management higher up, I'd be asking, 'What is the direction?'"
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