Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
‘Not working’: Micah Richards thinks two Aston Villa players can’t play together, says Gerrard needs to drop one
Micah Richards thinks Aston Villa strikers Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins can’t play together and .
Villa have got off to a poor start this season as they have managed just one win from their opening four games.
Gerrard’s men fell to defeat against the Hammers yesterday afternoon after another lacklustre display at Villa Park.
The Villa boss opted to play both Ings and Watkins in the game and Richards thinks this isn’t quite working for Gerrard.
Richards thinks two Villa players can’t play together
.
“Does Gerrard know his best XI? That, in my opinion, is one of the problems,” he wrote.
“Ollie Watkins didn’t have a great pre-season so he didn’t start the first game. Then Gerrard tried to put Danny Ings and Watkins together.
“At this moment in time, it is not working. At times against West Ham, there was nothing in terms of width in the forward parts of the pitch. I found that strange.
“Gerrard needs to get the balance of the team right. The players are capable of scoring goals and playing well, but I look at the balance and think “something is not quite right in the attacking area”.
“Villa need to demonstrate who they are because at the moment they are in between two different styles. They want to have Ings and Watkins on the pitch, but it’s not working.
“They need to play with one or the other, and play with some width.”
Gerrard has certainly got to try and work out his best team in the coming weeks or he could come under serious pressure at Villa Park.
The Villains finished last season poorly and have picked up where they left off this campaign.
Watkins and Ings are both brilliant options for Gerrard but it’s clearly not working with both of them playing at the same time.