There were a couple of times in this game when a fidgeting Dean Smith took a hurried glance at his watch and, after a fifth successive
Premier League defeat, the Aston Villa hierarchy must decide whether to stick or twist. Smith had spoken of a determination within the camp to put things right but the signs look increasingly ominous after another jarring display. Villa had grand plans of building on last season’s mid-table finish with a drive towards the European places but, although unlikely, a painful defeat at Southampton means they could yet end the weekend in the relegation zone.
The grimaces on the faces of Christian Purslow, the Villa chief executive, and Johan Lange, the sporting director, as time ticked away in the second half said everything. Villa’s billionaire owners, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, are expected to review Smith’s position in the coming days. Their cold ambition is what enticed Danny Ings, who missed the game with a hamstring problem, to swap Southampton for Villa in the summer. Villa were improved in the second half but it remains to be seen whether that awakening will prove sufficient for him to be in the dugout against Brighton after the international break.