Villa’s highest Premier League goalscorer has given his brutal verdict on the club’s wingers and defence
Aston Villa veteran Gabriel Agbonlahor has issued a scathing criticism of the club’s wingers and ‘predictable’ play style ahead of the Villans’ Champions League match against Juventus on Wednesday night.
Speaking on TalkSport, Villa’s all-time Premier League top goalscorer was critical of the club’s recent form and singled out wingers Leon Bailey and Jaden Philogene in particular.
Bailey, a Jamaican international, has been the topic of much discussion in recent weeks as a result of his dramatic decrease in form from previous season. Last season, the winger scored 14 goals and assisted 14 times in all competitions, securing his spot in the Villa squad and fending off opposition from former wide man Moussa Diaby.
However, the 27-year-old has yet to score this season, recording only three assists since the campaign began.
“Leon Bailey will get the ball [and] cut inside,” Agbonlahor explained.
“He never takes anyone out on the outdoors. He lacks the speed to beat someone. His performance this season has been underwhelming in comparison to last season. He negotiated a new deal, with Diaby pushing him, whom we sold in the summer.
“He looks like he has lost a yard. He appears to lack the confidence to take on a player. Last season, he flew past opponents and scored screamers. This season, his confidence is poor, and Philogene isn’t a good enough player to fill in for him at this level.”
22-year-old Philogene re-signed for Unai Emery’s team in the summer following a year in the Championship with Hull City, where he was one of their standout players. He joined the Villa club as a backup to the more experienced attacking players, but he has started three games this season and played admirably when called upon.
He is still young and will continue to grow, but he has yet to demonstrate the output and consistency required to be a significant player for the Lions.
“I feel that Philogene is a young lad with talent, but I don’t think he’s ready yet to be that player that Aston Villa need to come on for Leon Bailey,” Agbonlahor said with a laugh. “I’ve yet to see Philogene beat a player in a Villa shirt. This may be harsh on a young player, but I have to be honest; perhaps he can improve.
“We desperately need more wingers in January… “I don’t think we have enough options on the wings.”
Despite just surrendering once in the Champions League this season (a 1-0 loss to Club Brugge), Villa have been open at the back in the Premier League, leaking 19 goals, the most of any club in the top half of the table.
Agbonlahor, who formally retired from football in March 2019, asked Emery to make changes to prevent conceding more goals.
“When you become predictable, you have to show something different and I’m hoping that’s what the manager will start to do because we are [predictable],” the analyst, 38, said.
“We cannot defend. We’re quite open, and Diego Carlos has performed poorly when he’s played. We have been unlucky with Ezri Konsa’s injury.”
Villa conceded two more goals in their most recent game against Crystal Palace on Saturday, and with Juventus coming to town on Wednesday evening, they will need to improve their defensive if they are to turn their fortunes around in the run-up to Christmas.
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