OPINION
Aston Villa have suffered a bit of a slump recently, and their struggles have been compounded by their woeful 3-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
Villa had a resurgence of form when Dean Smith was appointed as manager in place of the sacked Steve Bruce, with the team on the brink of the play-off places.
However, fast forward to the present day, and their attempt at getting back into the Premier League has come to an abrupt halt all of a sudden.
They now sit in 12th place and are further away from getting promoted than they were last season under Bruce.
Several players will no doubt take the blame for what was a hopeless performance against the Latics, but Birkir Bjarnason was certainly one of the worst.
Smith handed Bjarnson a start after the Icelandic international failed to make the team for their 3-0 loss to Swansea in the FA Cup last weekend, but he will definitely regret making such a decision.
The 30-year-old did not make the most of the opportunity that was handed to him on a plate by the manager, and there is only so long that Smith will be able to put up with these low standards.
One thing is for sure though – the midfielder must be axed in time for their next match against Hull City, as he is just an accident waiting to happen on the pitch.
His passing was incredibly poor alongside his decision making, which resulted in a yellow card after a poor passage of play that involved himself and Conor Hourihane.
The 6ft [Transfermarkt] player only has 13 appearances in the Championship to his name so far this term, but that figure is not likely to get any higher based on this gutless display.
Smith needs to address this immediately, as Villa’s promotion hopes are just going down the drain.