Les Ferdinand says ‘something doesn’t feel right’ at Aston Villa in damning verdict
Aston Villa may have problems behind the scenes as Unai Emery fails to get the best out of his squad on the pitch.
John McGinn’s first half strike gave Aston Villa a 1-0 win over Bologna to hand Emery his first win of the season.
Emery has led Aston Villa to top-seven finishes over the past three seasons, but they have struggled for goals and results so far this season.
Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott joined Aston Villa on deadline day as the club failed to upgrade the squad over the summer, which may be a factor behind their poor start.
Les Ferdinand makes strong Aston Villa verdict following winless Premier League start
Morgan Rogers has received criticism for his displays, whilst striker Ollie Watkins has yet to score this season.
Emery is said to be safe from the sack at Aston Villa for now, but speaking on Sky Sports [28 September], Les Ferdinand believes something is wrong at the club.
“The stuff behind the scenes at the moment it doesn’t look like the players look happy,” Ferdinand said.
“I actually went and saw them play at Brentford in the Carabao Cup just to see what was going on and just the body language on the pitch, from what they were last year to what they are this year something doesn’t feel right.
| Goals per match | 0.2 |
| Expected Goals | 3.9 |
| Goals Conceded per match | 1.0 |
| Clean Sheets | 2 |
“I know Ollie Watkins hasn’t been scoring, there was a situation when he could’ve gone to Arsenal last year, the team he supported as a boy, that was blocked, and then you start looking at everything, Morgan Rogers is coming in for some stick from the fans but those are things you’ve got to get on with.“
Villa supporters will be hoping Sancho and Elliott can make an impact going forward, but Emery called his players “lazy” following their draw at Sunderland.
Unai Emery has done ‘first class’ job at Aston Villa
Emery has plenty of credit in the bank at Aston Villa for the job he has done by making them into consistent European contenders.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Clinton Morrison though also believes there is a different problem behind the scenes.
“Unai Emery is the boss of the football club. I don’t know why the football club has so many coaches,” Morrison said.
“I know times have changed, but the amount of people that are coaching. I am thinking ‘what is your job title?’
“They have had a slow start and you can judge Emery all you want, but the job he has done at Aston Villa is first-class.“
Emery and his coaches need to pick up wins soon though, with back-to-back home matches in the Premier League against Fulham and Burnley an opportunity to put points on the board.