Pundit Micah Richards says that Aston Villa will not be a title contender. Despite having a great run of form, Richards believes that Villa are short of their squad depth required to be at the top. The former Englishman was speaking to Chris Sutton on the BBC’s ‘The Monday Night Club’. He points out to the problem of lack of bench strength in the Unai Emery’s side. However, Villa are looking serious side after defeating Arsenal and Manchester City recently.
“You know what it takes to win a league, Chris, how hard it is to do that.
You have to keep everybody fit. The only reason I am saying why Villa in my opinion won’t do it, is because of the attacking talent of Liverpool, Man City and maybe an Arsenal.
They can compete, yes, they could keep it close but we are talking about getting over the edge. Now, if they were to buy in January. Now that’s a different conversation, if they bring in three top quality players to get them over the line. But we are talking with the squad now, I don’t know if they have the squad to win it.”
Richards is surely pointing towards the likes of Ollie Watkins. Although the striker is bagging goals and proving a real threat, the lack of his back up might be a concern. The Villans have Jhon Duran as a back-up but the teenager lacks the experience. In case if Watkins is out, Emery will have to rely on Leon Bailly or Bertrand Traore for a central role. This will not be an ideal situation for the team in the title race. The Villa management will surely be looking to improve in this area in the upcoming January window.
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