Jeff Stelling left ‘worried’ by what he has seen at Aston Villa after Brentford loss
Aston Villa have had a difficult start to the season and are yet to record a Premier League win.
Issues have been compounded by their inability to spend this summer, with Profit and Sustainability rules proving to be a continuous issue.
The Villans have lost a lot of their free-flowing attacking quality, with Jacob Ramsey joining Leon Bailey out the door.
Unai Emery still thought his side were capable of competing this season, but based on current evidence, they could struggle.
Jeff Stelling and Ally McCoist disagree over Aston Villa’s progress
With Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford returning to their parent clubs at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, there is no doubt that Villa are a weakened side.
However, Aston Villa’s 1-0 defeat to Brentford has shown that they are struggling a lot more than was first thought.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (25 August, 8:23 am), Jeff Stelling and Ally McCoist were in disagreement on their thoughts on the Villans so far.
“Two games, no goals, I’m a bit worried about them, Ally,” Stelling said.
McCoist replied: “Well, I’m not overly concerned. They’ve obviously lost players as well; they don’t look as strong. I get that, but I just think if they can keep players fit, they’ve got enough talent in their side.
Aston Villa’s opening three games in 2024/25:
- August 17, 2024: Lost 2-1 to West Ham United (A)
- August 24, 2024: Lost 2-0 to Arsenal (A)
- August 31, 2024: Lost 2-1 to Leicester City (A)
“I take your point, Villa fans will be a little bit concerned, I will imagine, but I think they’ll be fine, Jeff.
“It’s a shame with the situation of obviously having to sell players, it’s not ideal, but I think they have enough quality within their squad.”
Aston Villa must solve issues in front of goal vs Crystal Palace
Aston Villa had an equally poor start to last season, but had better circumstances going into the campaign.
Emery had signed the likes of Ian Maatsen and Amadou Onana this time last season, while they have struggled to spend more than £30million this summer.
However, with Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers still at Villa Park, it was assumed they would have no issues up front.
- The last time Villa went their opening three games without scoring was in 2002/03
- That season, they finished just one point above the relegation zone
Given their form in attack, it is crucial that they start firing them next time out against Crystal Palace.
In their opening two games, Emery’s side have managed an expected goals of just 1.36, and from 17 shots against Brentford, they managed just two on target.
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