Punditry duo Stephen Warnock and Robbie Mustoe had a lot to say on Aston Villa following Unai Emery’s side’s abysmal 4-0 defeat to Tottenham at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon.
It was truly a day to forget for Aston Villa on Sunday as Tottenham obliterated Unai Emery’s side 4-0 at Villa Park.
The match was poised to be a blockbuster for the hosts, who had the chance to widen the gap between fourth and fifth place to eight points.
Instead, Villa conceded four goals at home and witnessed Spurs close the gap to just two points, not eased by the North Londoners having a game in hand on the Midlands club.
From the dismissal of John McGinn to the overall dominance that Ange Postecoglou’s side had over Villa, it was a terrible day at the office, with pundits Stephen Warnock and Robbie Mustoe questioning one of Emery’s decisions.
What pundits say Unai Emery got wrong against Spurs
When debating the result on The 2 Robbies podcast, Warnock failed to understand why the manager decided to switch his formation in one of Villa’s biggest games of the season.
“I didn’t like it [the formation], and if I’m in the changing room I’m thinking why? Why are we changing it now?”
Warnock’s view was shared by podcast host Mustoe, who branded the set-up of Emery’s team as “negative”, implying that the hosts were inviting Spurs to play their football.
“Negative, defensive kind of posture.”
“I know they’ve done it in the season but the best results have come with the four at the back it’s so difficult to play against that box system, and you’re the home team.”
“It just felt very much like Villa had accepted that Spurs were going to have more of the ball and they were okay with that and I was thinking, that’s not Aston Villa this season.”
Unai Emery was wrong to change his formation against Spurs
Part of the reason that Villa have been in the race for the top four for the majority of the campaign is due to Emery uncovering the best formation and selection for his squad.
Playing 4-4-2 has seen the Spaniard get the best out of his players in recent weeks, with the defence, midfield and attack all understanding their roles to enable them to play the game that has excited so many this term.
Players such as Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins were left extremely limited against Spurs due to the switch in formation, two players that were arguably the most likely to torment the visitors.
With 10 games left to play, the dream is far from over for Villa when it comes to fighting for the top four however, the boss should perhaps opt to stick with a 4-4-2 moving forward.
