Aston Villa dropped points yet again on Monday as they drew 1-1 against Nottingham Forest in their most recent Premier League game.
With Steven Gerrard reportedly under pressure as a result of his team’s poor start to the campaign, with just two wins in nine games, one player in particular has come under scrutiny from someone who knows the club quite well.
Speaking to Football Insider, former Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor, has shared his thoughts on the club’s current situation after the Forest game and the recent performances of Philippe Coutinho.
Agbonlahor critical of Coutinho
The talkSPORT pundit said: “Watching the game, Villa had possession with no penetration. Having possession means nothing if you’re not creating chances, you’d rather have no possession, it’s not a possession game.
“Nottingham Forest did make it difficult by getting back in numbers but it keeps happening now with Villa, it’s a reoccurring theme that we’re talking about, not creating chances.
“Maybe you drop Coutinho and [Emi] Buendia. On Monday, Buendia didn’t do anything, he looked really weak. He doesn’t create, he doesn’t score and his free-kicks are poor.
“Coutinho, Jamie Carragher called it perfectly, he looks like a five-a-side player. He’s probably the best in training but when it comes to a game the pitch is too big for him.
“He looks disinterested. He looks like a player thinking ‘What am I doing in Birmingham?’ He’s done it all in his career and doesn’t look interested. He’s a million miles away from a recall to Brazil for the World Cup.
“It’s just painful to watch at the moment.”
Could do with being dropped
Having appeared in all nine of Villa’s league games this season, the Brazilian has yet to score a goal or provide an assist for his team.
To further highlight how disappointing he has been for Villa, Coutinho currently has the joint-highest number of failed attempts at trying to control the ball (13) among the entire squad.
Taking all that into account, it could be a smart move for Gerrard to take the 30-year-old out of the team for the time being, as Agbonlahor has suggested.
