Aston Villa

Aston Villa defender issues rallying cry to teammates

Defender Tommy Elphick has admitted that Aston Villa need to stop ‘giving stupid goals away’, as reported by the Express & Star.

The 31-year-old spent the first half of the season with Hull City before being recalled by Dean Smith, who wanted the experienced centre-back to bolster the club’s leaky backline.

Elphick partnered James Chester in the heart of defence in a 2-2 draw against his former club on Saturday, during which some lax defending allowed the Tigers to take a 2-0 lead.

The Villains are now seven points adrift of the play-offs and the former AFC Bournemouth man was frank in his admittance of the side’s weaknesses:

“They (the goals that Villa are conceding) do all seem to be similar – we get caught on the counter or get caught after a mistake.

“We just need to wise up a little bit. The way we are trying to play, we are always going to be susceptible to being countered and conceding goals. But I’ve had success playing this way at Bournemouth. We had the second best defence in the league that season. That is where we want to be.

“When you see the intensity that we pressed with in the second half on Saturday, it just makes it so much easier for us to get onto the front foot. When that pressing is breaks down, we need to become a little bit more savvy and more streetwise and fall into our shape a little bit quicker and make it harder for teams to score.

“We are giving stupid goals away that aren’t good enough for us to be up in the top six at the moment.”

Dean Smith’s side left the pitch at half-time to a chorus of boos, something that Elphick understands:

“We understand the booing. We’ve all been at the club long enough now to understand the frustration of where this club has been and where it wants to go.

“Of course, it hurts. If it doesn’t there is something wrong. It was added motivation to try and turn it around in the second half.

“We set a benchmark there in the second half and that’s what we have to take forward.”

Rock-bottom Ipswich Town visit Villa Park on Saturday and the hosts will be keen to keep a clean sheet against the struggling Tractor Boys, especially with the play-offs still in sight. Elphick insisted that finishing in the top six remains a target:

“We have to believe (we can still make the top six) with the talent we’ve got, with the coaching staff we’ve got in place.

“The most important thing for me is the contrast in the two halves. Let’s take the second half and take that forward. If we do, then the wins are only around the corner.

“Once we get that next win, hopefully we will get on a roll.”

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