There have already been whispers that Villa boss Di Matteo’s time could be running out after a poor start to the season.
Former Aston Villa striker Dean Saunders has told talkSPORT that Roberto di Matteo will need up to three years to change the fortunes of the club.
Villa have made a poor start to the season, winning just one of their first 10 Championship games of the season following their dismal relegation last term.
That poor form has led to whispers surfacing that Di Matteo could already be running out of time to prove to club owner Tony Xia that he is the right man to lead the club’s revival.
However, ex-Villa star Saunders believes that talk about a possible change in the dugout is far too premature, and suggested that short-termism should not deny the Italian boss the time he needs to get results.
Saunders told talkSPORT: “Your long-term thinking gets affected by short-term panic. In the end you end up just concentrating on the first team, thinking, ‘I’ve got to win today’.
“You’re actually trying to build a formula for what gets you success, but along the way there’s bumps. He’s not quite got the right player in the right spot or the player he wants to get rid of has got three years left on his contract, he can’t get rid of him.
“It takes time. It takes you about two and a half years, three years to put everything you want in place. You’re going to have bad patches and you need your chairman to stick with you through them because you learn more.
“You go into that league and everybody thinks you’ll win that league. No you won’t. Look at the clubs that are in it. It’s difficult and it’s Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday.”
It had been hoped that Villa would be amongst the frontrunners for promotion this season after their terrible season last term, but things have not panned out that way.
With just 10 points from their first 10 games, there needs to be a drastic upturn in fortunes soon if they are to rescue this poor start.
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