Steve Bruce slams Aston Villa performance after Blades drubbing
A fuming Steve Bruce admitted Villa’s performance at times resembled “a circus act” after they were blown away at Sheffield United.
The 4-1 defeat at Bramall Lane was Villa’s first in the Championship this season but also their worst since relegation from the Premier League in 2016, ramping up the pressure on boss Bruce ahead of the international break.
New chief executive Christian Purslow watched from the stands as the visitors were torn apart by the rampant Blades, who led 3-0 at half-time thanks to goals from Jack O’Connell, Mark Duffy and Ollie Norwood.
Billy Sharp increased the pain for Bruce when he made it four shortly after the break, before Anwar El Ghazi netted a consolation.
Bruce said: “To win a game of football you have to play as a team. Certainly today, we were not a team.
“We were a team that was fragmented and one or two turned into a circus act. In this league you have to have more resilience than what we are showing at the minute.”
The manager admitted he was wrong to field several players who had been carrying knocks, including midfield duo John McGinn and Jack Grealish.
“They are my team, I picked them,” said Bruce. “I picked four or five of them who clearly weren’t fit, which is a bad call from me.
“To be fair to them they all declared themselves fit. But you can’t get off the treatment table and pull your socks up. I am not looking for excuses.
“That’s the way it was and that is the way it looked. We were so lacklustre and lifeless in the first-half.
“To be fair to Sheffield United, they blew us away. Every time they weren’t forward, they looked like they were going to score.”
The defeat left Villa four games without a win and saw them drop to 11th in the table.
Bruce added: “As manager of Aston Villa you are always under pressure. You are always a week away from being in a crisis.
“I understand that. It goes with the territory. When you get thumped - and it is the worst since I have been here.
“You have to accept what it is. The disappointing thing for me, is I always ask of my team, put your boots on.
“Not enough did today. Maybe they couldn’t and that was my fault because they were injured. I will look at that and scrutinise myself.
“At least they wanted to go out there but they looked way, way short. To have four or five like that is far too many to get away with it.”
