Aston Villa are one point above 18th-placed West Ham United in the Premier League table.
Jamie Carragher has claimed that West Ham fans will be thinking they can ‘drag’ Aston Villa into the bottom three because of their ‘concerning’ and ‘worrying’ defensive stats.
West Ham are sitting 18th in the Premier League table – one point below Villa – and Carragher told Monday Night Football on Sky Sports (24/02/20 at 19:15 pm), that he believes the final safety spot will fall to either of the above two clubs.
The Hammers, who were leading the champions-elect at Anfield on Monday night, missed the chance to leapfrog Villa in the table, as a point would have been enough because of the Midlands side’s goal difference.
Villa have conceded the most goals in the league this season, kept the fewest clean sheets, conceded most goals from set-plays, faced the most shots and are expected to conceded the most goals from anyone else in the Premier League – all of which is worrying TV pundit, Carragher.
“I have been concerned at Villa for a while,” Carragher told Sky Sports. “I was delighted they came back to the Premier League. I love going to Villa Park. And I love watching Jack Grealish. But every game Aston Villa play, it seems as though they concede over 20 shots.
“Since Pepe Reina has come in, my old teammate, he was Man of the Match last week. I watched highlights of the Southampton game and he’s making saves all over the place.
“Goals conceded, clean sheets, conceded at set-pieces, shots faced and expected goals against – they are bottom of everything in the Premier League. On average, they concede an average of 18 shots per game. They conceded 28 against Southampton.
“That record is over a full season. You think you would try to rectify it somehow or try to improve. I know he has gone to a back three, changed systems and done different things – I have been worried about them for a long time.
“The other big thing and it’s a real worry in terms of them going down. They have only got one point this season against the top nine in the Premier League, as we see it right now. Seven of their last 11 games is against that top nine. That’s why I really worry for them. If you are a West Ham fan, you are probably looking at those stats and thinking ‘they are a team we can drag back into this’. I think Villa and West Ham are really vying for that last position.”
Whilst West Ham will prepare for yet another Premier League clash at the weekend – at home to Southampton – Villa will be locking horns with Manchester City in the League Cup final.
This provides David Moyes’s side with a chance to leapfrog their relegation rivals, as a point would be enough to go ahead of Dean Smith’s men.
By the time Villa return to league action again, they could well be sitting 19th in the table and five points from safety because they don’t play this weekend, and they are next in action on Monday, March 9, which means two sets of fixtures will pass before they play again.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
