Troy Deeney
Aston Villa’s quest for their first win of the season continued in frustration as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sunderland on Sunday. Despite playing with an extra man for over an hour following Reinildo’s red card, Villa could not capitalize on their advantage. Matty Cash opened the scoring in the 67th minute with a long-range effort, but Sunderland quickly equalized through Wilson Isidor, who converted Granit Xhaka’s header.
Troy Deeney said: “It’s a weird one. But they must not be fit enough as he’s not putting them anywhere near the starting line-up. It’s an ego thing now, a player-driven ego thing. I think the manager is a very, very good manager, but you have to start looking now and saying: Why are the players trying to play inside the pitch? Why is Morgan Rogers not the focal point? He’s not away from any level of criticism, by the way, he needs to raise his game a little bit more. You can’t go and do it for England and not do it for your club. Villa are ending this weekend in the bottom three. It’s not good enough, not good enough at all. Not with the talent that they have, not with the squad they have. The biggest problem is lack of goals, lack of goals from Ollie at this moment in time.”
Deeney continued: “I’ve stuck up for Ollie on a number of occasions where they brought in [Marcus] Rashford and had [Jhon] Duran, and they are trying to move on from him. But at this moment in time, you’re the only striker there, you’re the one they’re looking towards and for the start of the season, you’re not delivering. Whether it’s goals, whether it’s performances – at the moment it’s both. I always think as a striker you can’t guarantee you’re going to score.”
The draw leaves Aston Villa in the relegation zone, a position that is far from reflective of the talent within their squad. The team’s inability to convert chances into goals has been a significant issue, with Ollie Watkins, in particular, facing criticism for his lack of form. Despite the positive impact of deadline day signings Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott off the bench, Villa’s attacking woes persisted, highlighting the need for a more clinical edge in front of goal.
Unai Emery’s tactical decisions have also come under scrutiny, with questions raised about player positioning and the lack of a clear focal point in attack. As Villa looks to climb out of the bottom three, addressing these concerns will be crucial in turning their season around.
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