Aston Villa have managed to drop a staggering eleven points from winning positions in just ten games.
Aston Villa Manager Roberto Di Matteo applauds their fans
Aston Villa travel to face Preston North End on Saturday afternoon, with manager Roberto Di Matteo under increasing pressure after a slow start to the season.
Villa have won just one Championship game this season, and have now drawn five games in a row as speculation surrounds the future of Di Matteo.
Aston Villa’s Pierluigi Gollini looks dejected
The Italian may have only been appointed over the summer, but The Guardian reported earlier this week that he has just two games to save his job – and one of those was the midweek draw with Barnsley.
That makes this weekend’s game against Preston so vital for Di Matteo, who will be desperately attempting to reverse one of Villa’s most worrying trends this season.
Pressure on Di Matteo may be considered harsh right now, but consider this damning stat; Villa have dropped a staggering eleven points from winning positions this season as their frailty is clear.
Aston Villa players look dejected
Conceding late goals has been a problem for Villa throughout their first ten games of the season, and it’s fair for fans to be frustrated given that Villa have allowed a league-high six goals in the last ten minutes of games.
That’s an unacceptable record for Villa, who splashed the cash on a number of new signings over the summer in a bid to achieve instant promotion back to the Premier League.
Aston Villa manager Roberto Di Matteo
The likes of Tommy Elphick and James Chester have Championship experience, as does Mile Jedinak, and those veteran players have to step up and lead their side in the end of games, especially with a young goalkeeper like Pierluigi Gollini between the sticks.
Di Matteo must not only start winning more games, but also show that Villa can be more resilient and won’t cave under late pressure on such a regular basis – or owner Tony Xia may be forced into making an early managerial change to find a manager who can bring a toughness to Villa Park.
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