Aston Villa suffered a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City on Sunday afternoon and Ross Barkley was one of many players who underperformed on the day. The 27-year-old was once again hooked in the second half and didn’t seem happy with the decision.
Barkley saw a lot of the ball at Villa Park but didn’t make any opportunities for his teammates, failed to register a shot and he failed to drive with the ball from deep like he’s known to do. The midfielder could have no arguments with Dean Smith taking him off and now he’s losing supporters.
Against Leicester, Barkley played for 75 minutes, had 57 touches, won two aerial duels, completed 89.1% of his 46 passes, failed to create a chance, whipped in seven crosses with only one finding a teammate, failed to take a shot, made one tackle and failed to make an interception (WhoScored).
The 27-year-old has made 17 appearances in all competitions this season (Transfermarkt), scoring four goals and supplying one assist. Barkley has scored just one Premier League goal since October and hasn’t managed an assist since November, so his place in the side might be at risk ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Leeds United.
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Barkley has been hooked seven times in his last eight league appearances, so it’s hard to see how Smith continues to start him. Jack Grealish’s injury means Villa have lost a lot of creativity, however, so it remains to be seen what he’ll do.
