Don't disintegrate, pleads Villa boss

24 March 2009 15:43
Villa have gone eight games without a win in all competitions and were hammered 5-0 by Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. They are now three points adrift of Arsenal after holding a six-point advantage over Arsene Wenger's side at the start of March. O'Neill said: "We've got to get back on track again. Winning football games in the Premier League is exceptionally hard. We were doing that fine until about four or five weeks ago. "It's been a really fine effort by the team this season to be up there but we can't just go and disintegrate. "We've got to start winning some games again and, once we win, we can get confidence restored again." O'Neill believes the current poor run is all part of the learning curve for his players, many of whom are experiencing challenging for a top-four position for the first time. He said: "They have to experience this. This is what it's about if you are going to go and play at the very top. "You play and you want to be there, and you want to be there not just for one week of the year, but on a regular basis. "I think players can learn from the way other teams play, but you've got to go and compete." Man Utd 2/5, Draw 10/3, Aston Villa 15/2  

Source: Team_Talk