Tommy Elphick has pinpointed where Aston Villa are falling short after their winless run was extended this past weekend.

Villa drew 1-1 away at Stoke City after falling behind to an early Sam Vokes goal but managed to restore party on 62 minutes through Albert Adomah.

The draw means Dean Smith’s side have not won in their last five matches – and have just one win in their previous ten.

Speaking after the game, the 31-year-old defender lifted the lid on one of the potential causes for the recent slump in the club’s form.

Villa are 11th and off the play-offs by nine points thanks to their poor run of recent form.

And Elphick feels when times get tough, the players start to play for themselves and forget about the importance of sticking together as a team.

This comes after the players had some harsh words said to them at half-time in the draw, according to the defender.

“There are different people in different situations at the moment, and I think if we all realised that Aston Villa in the top six is beneficial to everyone, we will start winning games,” he said.

“When things are not going right for us on the pitch, we can become a bit individual and start playing on our own.

“When things aren’t going right different people react in different ways.

“I think sometimes we are naive through our own honesty, people chasing on our own, trying to press balls we are not going to get.

The verdict

I make Elphick right, and it’s clear he is.

Villa are a team of individuals at times and not playing the way Smith wants and sticking to their tasks.

I get there will be an air of frustration and wanting to put things right but losing composure and going rogue to a game plan is not the way forward.

If Villa can tighten up as a unit, then they will reap the rewards.

It’s easier said than done, of course, but the problem – or one of them – has been identified, now is the time to try and fix it.