Aston Villa 0-1 West Ham
Aston Villa are in crisis following a disappointing 1-0 loss to West Ham at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon.
The loss sends the Villans to 1-0-3 in Premier League action with matches against Arsenal and Manchester City upcoming this week.
West Ham arrived in Birmingham winless and as the only club in England’s four professional divisions without a goal in 2022/23 but leave with three points and a clean sheet.
Despite carrying the lion’s share of play through the opening 70 minutes, Villa fell behind in the 74th minute when Pablo Fornals’ strike from outside the box deflected off of Ezri Konsa and ricocheted past Emi Martinez.
Under-pressure Villa manager Steven Gerrard said post match: “I’m very disappointed with the outcome of the game. We haven’t got enough points on the board. I certainly share our fans’ frustration and our players’ frustration.”
Same old story for Aston Villa
On Sunday Villa out possessed (58%-42%) and out shot (9-7) West Ham but failed to convert on the few chances they created. Villa accumulated an expected goals (xG) figure of only 0.40 while limiting the Hammers to a 0.36 rating.
Ultimately Villa couldn’t break through a West Ham side that played with two defensive midfielders and a five-man back line. A tough ask, but Gerrard’s men never looked up for the challenge.
Under Gerrard, we rarely see Villa attackers overload defenders, instead electing to play long balls from full backs or half backs. A lack of a clear identity has become a real detriment to the squad.
Additionally, team selection and in-game substitution choices are growing increasingly puzzling. Douglas Luiz started for the first time this season and was a bright spot in the Villa midfield, but the Brazilian was pulled off in the 66th minute for no good reason.
West Ham would go on to score less than one minute later.
Gerrard losing the dressing room
After coming off, an agitated Luiz could be seen letting out his frustrations in the Villa dugout, but Morgan Sanason was nowhere to be found. The Frenchman can’t even make it onto Gerrard’s bench despite the side’s glaring need for a play-making, ball-moving pivot.
Leon Bailey, whose agent has taken to social media in recent days to detail his frustrations with Villa and Gerrard in particular, came on as a substitute in the 78th minute.
The Jamaican has looked bright in appearances this season, but in a Gerrard system that doesn’t use wingers in the traditional sense, Bailey has been forced to play a bit-rate part.
Overall nothing feels good at Villa at the moment. Gerrard looks out of his depth, players and their agents are unhappy, and the fans have taken to social media to voice their concerns about where the club is heading in the short term.
And with Arsenal and Manchester City up next, things are bound to get worse before they get better.
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