VILLA PARK — The headache from this Champions League hangover will last a little while longer for Aston Villa, who have serious problems at the back.
Villa may have led West Ham but in the end they were lucky to draw, and ahead of Celtic’s visit on Wednesday, Unai Emery has a centre-back shortage that could do some lasting damage.
Tyrone Mings looked distraught when hobbling off in the first half, and with Pau Torres already injured and Diego Carlos leaving for Fenerbahce this week, Emery turned to Lucas Digne, bringing the full-back inside and placing substitute Ian Maatsen at left-back.
The forced change altered the tune and gave West Ham hope of finding an equaliser, with Mings’ injury taking the sting out of a nervy-looking Villa, who were second-best across the park after the loss of their vocal leader at the back.
It was proving a challenge for this new-look four, for Digne in particular, and just minutes after a tracksuit-clad Mings retuned to the dugout to applause in the second half, Villa relinquished the lead they had taken through Jacob Ramsey, caught out at the back post after Edson Alvarez’s perfect cross was headed in by Emerson.
It was no more than West Ham deserved, and while they almost scored a carbon copy moments later, Digne did his goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez no favours with a wayward pass that almost went in.
“Digne has had an absolute nightmare on the ball since going to centre-back,” Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports. “He has constantly put his goalkeeper and teammates under pressure. He’s been really poor.”
The hosts held on for a point after watching Danny Ings’ strike sail a whisker wide, and on a weekend where both Manchester City and Newcastle won, Villa are falling behind in the top-four race – sitting eighth behind Chelsea and Bournemouth too.
They are also lighter at the back than they have been all season, and with the Champions League knockouts to come – their top-eight fate is out of their hands but could be secured with a win over Celtic on Wednesday – it begs the question of why Carlos was allowed to leave, and what Villa are doing to address this shortage.
Sevilla’s Loic Bade is a reported target, and it looks more pressing than ever that Villa get this deal over the line.
In a mid-season window where Champions League football is not only being played but is the aim once more next season, a club should not be dwindling when it comes to squad options.
That could cost Villa in the long run, for after a season that started with such promise, the last thing these supporters would want is an abrupt Champions League exit before realising they are too far behind in the league to catch up with fourth.
Fifth could yet open up as a Champions League spot, with England primed to secure one of those two extra places, but Villa are lagging behind – and the defence in this current guise is only going to further scupper their prospects.
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