Lack of Premier League experience costing Aston Villa – Petrov

Stiliyan Petrov is unsurprised by Aston Villa’s struggles in the Premier League this season, believing questionable recruitment is a main factor.

Villa sit 18th in the table ahead of Manchester United’s visit on Thursday, with Dean Smith’s side four points off safety.

However, ex-Villa captain Petrov is in no way surprised by the club’s perilous position, and the former midfielder cited the recruitment of inexperienced players as a major issue for Villa.

“I’m not surprised. I remember at the start of the season saying it was a big task for them,” Petrov told Stats Perform News.

“Recruitment and prep, they were way behind everybody else. It was expected. It doesn’t look promising.

“[These are] challenging times for the club and for fans, like me. I hope the boys can pick it up enough to stay up, but with Watford winning [on Tuesday] our task is more difficult.

“Villa signed a lot of promising players, but inexperienced players. It took me two years to adapt to the league from Celtic, so you can see where the trouble is.

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“The problem is scoring goals. You can let them in but if you don’t create opportunities then it’s very difficult.

“I don’t know what plan they have, but I hope we can stay up. Getting back up will be difficult.”

Petrov also acknowledged it will be a challenge for Villa to keep hold of their key performers should they fail to beat the drop, using England international Tyrone Mings as an example.

“He’s been a very good addition to the club,” Petrov said of the defender, who joined from Bournemouth in 2019 following a successful loan spell at Villa Park.

“He’s shown he’s improving. He wants to be a leader; he likes to be a leader.

“It will be difficult to keep hold of him if we go down, he is an asset and some people will look to buy. I know we’ve lost a lot of games, but his individual performances and development have been well ahead of everyone else.”