‘Consider It Crucial’ – Aston Villa Coaching Staff United On Game View | OneFootball

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Aston Villa are playing a friendly game against La Liga club Elche, and the Villans’ coaching staff ‘consider it crucial to maintain their rhythm’.

The Premier League club were competing for the league title with Arsenal and Manchester City, but their form fell off a cliff as they sit a massive 16 points behind the Gunners, proving Richard Keys’ prediction correct.

Keys said in December: “I just don’t think they [Villa] have got enough in terms of personnel and I think by March will we have two in the race.”

And one former Villans star issued a warning that Unai Emery’s side could become a mid-table club if they miss out on the top five.

Aston Villa are currently fighting to finish in the Champions League spots and they currently sit fourth in the Premier League table.

Ex-top-flight hitman Dean Ashton believes that Unai Emery must also take a big part of the criticism for the recent dip.

Aston Villa are not in great form at the moment, having won only one of their last five league games, which came against West Ham United last weekend.

However, they do not play a league game until 12th April, when they face relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

Some of Villans’ stars are currently away for their international duties and the rest of the team have travelled to Spain.

La Liga outfit Elche will take on the club in a friendly match on Friday at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero.

And according to Spanish outlet Super Deporte, the Aston Villa coaches ‘consider it crucial to maintain their rhythm’.

The match will give Emery the chance to get some much-needed game time into the legs of the Aston Villa players present.

The Spanish boss wants to identify some more useful options among his players before they make a final push to end their season on a strong note.

Villa are still involved in the Europa League and it represents another path to the Champions League.

Whether Villa’s friendly against Los Franjiverdes will have any positive effect on their final part of the ongoing campaign, which they want to finish strongly, remains to be seen.