Cast your mind back a few weeks: Aston Villa were sitting in the top four, leading their Champions League group, and the only time some fans mentioned profit and sustainability rules (PSR) was to try and defend the club’s outrageous Champions League ticket prices.
Now, PSR is seemingly being used online to explain everything—from conceding injury-time equalisers to blown leads against relegation candidates and repeated defensive calamities.
Conceding goals in transition from their own corners – what’s that got to do with PSR? That’s pure Keystone Cops territory, and that’s before we even get to Tyrone Mings’ costly lapse in Bruges.
And, suddenly, we’re hearing about missing Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby, two victims of PSR. Let’s not be revisionist —both players had indifferent endings to last season. Luiz was replaced with Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley, while Diaby – admittedly not adequately replaced – was struggling for form and reduced to being a bit-part player not befitting his hefty price tag.
Villa have spent heavily in recent seasons, investing £87m in the last transfer window alone on Onana and Ian Maatsen. While PSR limited Villa’s ability to recruit a right-back in the summer, and impeded them from fast-tracking a title challenge this term, it is not responsible for their recent drop-off in form.
Despite starting well with a strengthened squad, Villa’s overall performance levels have been underwhelming this season. Without improvement, a downturn was always on the cards.
In the Premier League, Villa have not beaten any notable teams this season – but they did not need to. Holding on to strong positions in games against Bournemouth, Ipswich, and Crystal Palace would have been enough to keep them in the top four.
There seems to be a worrying trend among players after recently signing new contracts. Who has not dipped in form? Ollie Watkins, Jhon Duran, Leon Bailey, and Morgan Rogers are all guilty. Meanwhile, the manager’s repeated public claims that Villa are not a top-seven team seem to have become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Ultimately, Villa’s recent slump falls squarely on the shoulders of both the manager and his players, even if it has been hard for some supporters to acknowledge that.
Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said
