Ashley Young urges Aston Villa to be ruthless in hunt for victory
Ashley Young has called on Villa to develop a ‘killer instinct’ as they look to give their season lift-off.
Steven Gerrard’s team have scored just seven goals in their first nine Premier League matches and sit 16th in the table after Monday’s 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest.
Young ultimately earned his team a point at the City Ground with a moment of magic, blasting home from distance to cancel out Emmanuel Dennis’s opener for his first Villa goal since May 2011.
But the 37-year-old’s main emotion at the final whistle was of frustration after the visitors were unable to turn possession and territory into a win. He said: “I would have enjoyed it more if we had gone on to win the game. We needed to get ourselves back in the game.
“As soon as I saw it dropping I was going to take a touch and hit it straight away. Luckily for me it went in, so it was a nice moment.
“But the frustration is at not going on to get the three points. It is about having more confidence around the box.
“When we get into the opposition half we need to have that killer instinct to go and win the game. When the chances come, we have to take them. We need to go and kill off teams and score goals.” Villa are now unbeaten in four, the longest run since Gerrard replaced Dean Smith last November.
Yet the manager finds his position under increasing scrutiny due to the continued failures in front of goal, with Villa having struggled to break down Leeds and Forest in their last two games.
Supporters voiced their frustration at the final whistle on Monday with boos ringing out from the away end, with Gerrard later demanding more from his attacking players and admitting he was considering changes in personnel and system for this Sunday’s home match against Chelsea. Villa then have matches away at Fulham and at home to Brentford in what will be a crucial period for the boss.
“The feeling is one of frustration,” added Young. “The amount of possession we had, the chances we created, it feels like a loss to be honest. It is definitely two points we have dropped.
“We nullified them to hardly any chances. They got the goal from the set piece but other than that it was a good defensive display.
“We created more in the second half but just could not get the second goal. There is a lot of frustration in the dressing room.”
