Villa in fight for survival, says Houllier

Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier conceded his side are in a relegation battle after their 4-0 trouncing at Manchester City on Tuesday.

A disappointing Villa outfit were thoroughly outplayed at Eastlands as a Mario Balotelli hat-trick and a Joleon Lescott header propelled City to the top of the Premier League standings.

Roberto Mancini’s side can however be overtaken by city rivals United who face Birmingham later on Tuesday.

Villa, meanwhile, find themselves two points out of the drop zone having notched just one victory in their last seven matches, and Houllier now has the fight for survival high on his mind.

“We are definitely in a relegation battle,” he said.

“We knew that we would have a difficult run of games over Christmas. We need to bring the confidence back into the team.”

“The problem is in the team. I think the fans were fantastic today. There is a drop zone behind and we are very near, but we acknowledge that.”

“We need to turn the corner,” he added.

It was a far more jubilant post-match reaction from Mancini, who hailed hat-trick hero Balotelli and backed him to be one of Europe’s best.

“For me if Mario plays like he did this afternoon he can become one of the top players in Europe,” Mancini told Sky Sports.

Balotelli is believed to be homesick and craving a return to Italy, but Mancini played down the suggestion.

“I think it is normal. He is only 20 years old, he is young it is the first time he has gone out of his home so it is normal. He’s happy but maybe he is missing his family but everything is normal.”

“I think it is very important for the guys to help Mario but this season will be a very important experience for his career. It is important to keep him because he is a good player because I think he can improve a lot.”