Aston Villa midfielder Ashley Westwood managed only three touches in 45 minutes.
Ashley Westwood had a game to forget for Aston Villa against Cardiff City as his team suffered a 1-0 loss.
Westwood managed a lowly three touches in 45 minutes, and was unsurprisingly substituted at half-time.
The central midfielder’s display was a record setting one for the season, and not in a good way.
Aston Villa’s Ashley Westwood
No player who has played 45 minutes or more in a single game in the Championship in 2015/16 has managed fewer touches in a game than Westwood’s three.
This included goalkeepers and occasionally isolated strikers, and Westwood’s midfield partner Gary Gardner did not cover himself in glory either.
Aston Villa’s Gary Gardner in action against Wigan Athletic’s David Perkins (R)
Gardner managed only six touches in 45 minutes, with the pair substituted off at half-time by unimpressed manager Steve Bruce.
Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City deserve credit for shutting Villa down so effectively in the first half, but Westwood and Gardner’s total of nine total touches was more than a little embarrassing.
Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor in action with Cardiff’s Sean Morrison
To put it into context, unpopular second half substitute Gabby Agbonlahor managed 21 touches in his 45 minutes on the pitch.
Better is expected from Westwood and Gardner, not just if they are to get out of the Championship, but especially if the club are to get back to competing in the Premier League.
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