Former Aston Villa star and Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has singled out the injury issues suffered by his old side as a major issue plaguing them as the wheels fall off their bid for promotion this season.
The Villans harboured hopes of a top six finish after finishing as defeat play off finalists last season but prior to kick off against Brentford found themselves sitting 10th, four places and seven points off Middlesbrough in sixth.
Speaking of why Dean Smith’s men have struggled, Hendrie pointed towards the missing men as a serious problem, with Axel Tuanzebe, James Chester and Jack Grealish big losses.
He told Sky Sports’ coverage of the clash against Brentford (13/02, 19:04): “To be honest, you’ve got to put it down to injuries. You’ve lost Tuanzebe who I think has been fantastic since he’s come in and they’ve formed a partnership, him and James Chester.
“Obviously Chester being injured as well, you’re talking the backbone of your side. Grealish not being involved, we’re talking big players in this Villa side and it proves the point – I know they’re still maybe still scoring goals, you’ve got Tammy (Abraham) who’s still scoring goals but I just think we’re conceding too many.
“There’s so many issues in that Villa side.”
Opinion
The problem Villa have comes down to a lot more than injuries but Hendrie is right that missing so many of their top stars is going to do their chances no good whatsoever. Grealish has been the biggest loss, with a distinct lack of connection between the midfield and attack, while the constant changes in defence thanks to various individuals being out for varying amounts of time means there has been no solid ground on which to build a side from. The top six is still in sight but the wheels are shaking and Smith and his men are probably using a tricycle more than a wagon now. Grealish’s return from his setback will be a massive boost regardless of where the problems lie and Tuanzebe coming back and establishing himself as a regular in the team once again will not harm their chances one bit. The problem is that there are so many quality sides in the Championship – have the Villans left it too late to make a push?