Tony Cascarino: McGinn, Coutinho, Watkins need to step up at Aston Villa
John McGinn, Philippe Coutinho and Ollie Watkins have all been criticised by former Aston Villa striker Tony Cascarino for their poor form.
Aston Villa have endured a terrible start to the 2022/23 season, with Steven Gerrard’s men currently sat 17th after picking up four points from their first six games.
Their latest point came in a spirited performance against reigning champions Manchester City, but Cascarino wants to see Villa’s key players display more consistency.
“It’s been a difficult period for Gerrard, at the end of last season and going into this season it’s been really difficult,” Cascarino told talkSPORT, as quoted by the Birmingham Mail.
“He seems to be spinning plates of players’ selection, team line-ups.
“Their big players haven’t played as well, they have really needed their big players to turn up, people like McGinn and Coutinho and others, Watkins has done okay but he hasn’t been nowhere near as good as last year.”
Accountability
Cascarino is right – key players and leaders in the club’s dressing room need to stand up and be counted.
The saga surrounding Tyrone Mings and the club captaincy hasn’t helped matters, and McGinn in particular seems to be suffering as a result, but there’s still plenty of characters in the squad who need to improve their performance levels and shoulder some responsibility.
Off the back of three incredibly difficult fixtures against Manchester City, Arsenal and West Ham, Villa can now look forward to a far more favourable schedule against Southampton, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest.
It’s time to put the poor form behind the team and build up some momentum before the World Cup winter break.
That starts with the experienced players mentioned above as well as Gerrard, who under huge pressure will need to deliver a convincing result on Friday night to afford himself more time in the Villa Park hotseat.
In other Aston Villa news, Alan Hutton has suggested that Gerrard changes his tactical approach