Aston Villa lost their third-straight Premier League fixture when Arsenal won 3-1 on Friday, and Stan Collymore has warned Dean Smith on Twitter his job may be under pressure soon.
The Birmingham outfit were second-best in almost every aspect during the first-half at the Emirates Stadium. They entered the break 2-0 behind, without a shot and only registering three touches inside the Gunners’ box, per Squawka.
Smith responded by ditching the 3-4-1-2 system Aston Villa started with at Arsenal for a 4-2-3-1 shape for the second-half. The shift helped, with the Villans ending the game with 10 shots and 16 touches in Aaron Ramsdale’s penalty area.
A stunning 82nd-minute strike from 20-year-old Jacob Ramsey meant the Villa Park outfit left north London with a goal. But defeat marked their fourth road loss in five this season. It was also their fifth across all competitions after exiting the Carabao Cup away to Chelsea.
Collymore now warns Smith that he must find a way to get Aston Villa’s players performing at their best. Criticising the 50-year-old’s recent usage of a three-at-the-back for trying to shoehorn the club’s top talents into a starting line-up. Writing on Twitter after full-time:
“Not panic stations, but definitely concern over Villa shape. Crowbarring players into a system, rather than getting the best out of their abilities. Deano needs to front it out and have a firm plan going forward. Or very wealthy owners will pull the trigger at some point.”
Should Collymore warning worry Smith at Aston Villa?
Smith will share Collymore’s desires for Aston Villa to field a starting line-up that sees their top talents play at their best. But for every bad result like against Arsenal on Friday, Villa have secured points with a three-at-the-back formation this season.
The Villa Park natives beat Manchester United at Old Trafford for their only away Premier League win this season. They also beat Everton 3-0 at home with three centre-backs in the starting line-up. However, have also lost to Wolves, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
Aston Villa’s only Premier League win without a three-at-the-back so far this season came against Newcastle United in a 4-3-3. The shape also returned a draw with Brentford, while losing to Watford in a 4-2-3-1, which Smith turned to for a better response at Arsenal.
But if Smith cannot find consistent results, Aston Villa co-owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris may start to consider whether he should remain in charge, like Collymore warns.
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