As things stand, Aston Villa are going to need everyone pulling in the same direction if they are to stay up.

Following their defeat to Southampton on Saturday, the Villans sit precariously above the relegation zone on 25 points, while West Ham and Watford are just below them with 24 points to their name.

Dean Smith's men have also conceded the most goals in the Premier League with 52 concessions in 27 outings.

However, their struggle to obtain survival may have been exemplified by Mbwana Samatta's quiet display at St Mary's on Saturday.

The Tanzania international did score an offside goal, but other than that, he may as well not have been on the pitch.

The former Genk striker - who netted 32 goals last season - had just 20 touches of the ball against Ralph Hasenhuttl's side, which was less than any other player to have played the full 90 minutes.

Additionally, he managed to complete just ten passes, which was also the fewest amount of any player to play the entire game.

Given that information, it goes without saying that Samatta also didn't have a shot, nor did he complete a single key pass - he was also caught offside on one occasion.

It should be noted that this was only the striker's third Premier League appearance since his £8.5m January move, so he still has time to improve and is surely still adapting to the English game - in fairness, he has netted one league goal already, so the early pressure to score should have evaporated.

However, if he cannot find a way to build on his display against Southampton, then he may have showed with his 20 touches of the ball on Saturday why Villa could struggle to survive with him leading the line.

Calling Premier League experts ONLY: Which year were these top flight clubs formed?

If the Midlands-based outfit are to avoid an immediate return to the Championship, Samatta must step up.

In other news, these Aston Villa fans were left fuming with Dean Smith's admission...