Aston Villa should start Agbonlahor to arrest their slump

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Aston Villa have now gone three matches without a win. Is it time to bring Gabriel Agbonlahor back into the starting XI?

Villa’s form heading into December was quality. They won four of their five games in November and were looking a solid bet to make the playoffs.

But in their three December matches so far, Villa have stumbled a bit. Consecutive draws with Leeds and then Millwall were not good, especially because Villa’s recent form had seen the club lose, but offset that by winning a lot. I those wins were now draws, that’s a problem.

The problem was made worse when they lost 2-0 away to Derby. These results have allowed Leeds, Ipswich and Preston to pull to within two points of them. And it’s only because upcoming opponents Sheffield United are in even worse form that they haven’t fallen down the table.

So what to do? How do Villa arrest the decline? Well, they bring in the one big gun they have left.

Back when Aston Villa were a true Premier League force their attack was built around three men: Ashley Young, Gareth Barry and Gabriel Agbonlahor. Sure there were others, but those were the mainstays. In time Young and Barry left to Manchester, but Agbonlahor remained, because he truly loved the club.

He’s still there now, albeit as a 31 year-old who is more than a little past his prime. He still loves the club, however, and wants to renew his contract which expires at the end of the season.

Before, Villa had the luxury to bring him back into the side at their will. Keinan Davis was thriving in attack and Albert Adomah was working off him wonderfully, scoring copious amounts of goals.

But now Davis is struggling a bit more, and Adomah’s goals have dried up. In their winless run Villa have scored just once. That’s not good enough.

Bringing Agbonlahor into the mix could be just the refreshing tonic that Villa need. Davis is a superb young talent but he is young. Pairing him with Agbonlahor or giving him a rest here and there would likely see his performance improve.

In fact, given the hectic fixture pile-up that’s coming, with Villa playing four games in the next 11 days, it would be fairly prudent of Steve Bruce to rotate his strikers. Bring Agbonlahor back for the clash against Sheffield United, then put Davis in two days later on Boxing Day against Brentford. Then keep bring Agbonlahor back in as Villa travel to Middlesbrough whilst letting Davis ring in the new year against Bristol on the 1st.

This way, each striker has one week between games, allowing them to give 100% knowing that there will be plenty of recovery time. Davis will shine with the added rest, whilst Agbonblahor will be delighted to have finally gotten his chance.