Aston Villa wide man Philippe Coutinho has been criticised for not doing his job on the pitch, following the side’s 2-0 home defeat by Chelsea on Sunday.
That is according to pundit Dean Saunders, who was discussing the future of manager Steven Gerrard on talkSPORT.
Sunday’s defeat has left Villa teetering just one point and two places above the Premier League relegation zone, with the side having won just two matches in the league so far this season.
The defeat has also added to the ever-increasing pressure on head coach Gerrard, with there being reports of the fans at Villa Park turning against the former Rangers manager.
But Saunders believes that Gerrard is getting let down by players not doing their job on the pitch this season, including that of £17m summer signing Coutinho.
“Say for example Coutinho, your job is to score goals and make goals, that’s why you’re here,” the former Villa player told talkSPORT.
“How many goals have you scored, and how many assists have you made?
“And are you getting on the ball for us?
“The answer is no, you’re not doing your job!
“What can Steven Gerrard do about Coutinho’s form apart from encouraging him and showing him videos?”
TIF Thoughts on Saunders’ comments
We believe that there are multiple players not performing to their highest standard at Villa Park so far this season, and Coutinho is just one example of these.
The 30-year-old has made ten Premier League appearances so far this campaign, without providing either a goal or assist according to Transfermarkt, but is joined by players such as Danny Ings (one goal in nine appearances), and Emiliano Buendía (one goal in ten appearances) who have also been under-par for the West Midlands giants this season.
Therefore, we think that Saunders has got a point about Gerrard being let down by his players, but it is up to the Liverpool legend to find a way to get a tune out of them, before it is too late.