Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins says his team lacks the “big team mentality” that destroys important games.
They are in 4th place in the Premier League, two points behind 5th place Tottenham, but have two games left to play.
“I'm not disrespecting the team, I'm part of the team too,” Watkins told BBC's Match of the Day. “We've got to somehow figure out a way to shut the store up when we're down 2-0.”
Villa had a great first half of the season but could have been eliminated. Premier League leader on December 22ndHowever, they missed out in a 1-1 draw with Sheffield United.
In 2024, Villa won five of their 12 league games, but fell behind to top-four rivals Spurs. In December, they led by 6 points.
Saturday's game was also the third time this season that Villa have allowed a two-goal lead. They won 2-0 against Manchester United on December 26th. Just lose 3-2.
Luton also bounced back from a 2-0 deficit on March 2, but Villa hit back late. To win 3-2.
“It's frustrating,” Watkins added after the game against Brentford. “We lack that big team mentality that can kill games, which is really disappointing.”
On Saturday, Brentford, who had posed little threat up until then, scored three goals in nine chaotic minutes.
All three shots came from crosses into the box.
“We completely lost control,” coach Unai Emery added. “It's not normal. Maybe he was a little emotionally shaken up.”
Even if Villa miss out on fourth place, fifth place could be enough to qualify for this season's Champions League.
England are in a strong position to win one of UEFA's 'performance quotas', allowing additional Premier League teams to compete in Europe's top club competition.
Villa have two games left to play and are 12 points behind sixth-placed Manchester United.