OPINION
Aston Villa had a terrible time on Saturday as Wigan cruised to a 3-0 victory with several Villans players submitting performances they’d rather forget.
Yet while Villans boss Dean Smith no doubt has his eye on axing a few of his players from their next game based on what he saw against Wigan, one of the players he must bin from his starting line-up is defender James Bree.
The right-back has been experiencing a little run in the first-team as of late after not featuring much at all as the clash with Wigan was his fifth league start in a row.
However Smith must ruthlessly axe Bree from his team as in the match against Wigan it was clear to see that he was out of his depth.
The 21-year-old is a promising prospect and one the Villans should keep a tight hold off in regards to the future, but he is not ready to be the club’s first-choice full-back in the Championship as it stands.
Bree’s lack of experience is regularly on show for his opponents to expose as too many times he ends up being caught out of position and the Villans are punished as a result.
The Villans flyer has all the tools to learn from his experience and kick-on in his career, but as it stands he is a liability if asked to be starter for his side.
Therefore while it may be harsh to axe Bree when his experienced teammates are also struggling, Smith has to be ruthless and drop him after witnessing his struggles against Wigan.
This is especially the case when you consider how negative performances and being asked to do too much could actually damage his confidence and progress as a result.