Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier enters the New Year under increasing pressure as his side lie one point above the EPL’s drop zone – and bitter rivals Birmingham City - after two disheartening Christmas defeats.

A home defeat to a Spurs side down to ten men for over an hour was followed by an abject surrender at Manchester City, which left Villa languishing in 15^th place.

And the 63-year-old Frenchman has had to deny rumours of a squad disaffected to the point of rebellion, with players reportedly unhappy with the training regime and former captain Richard Dunne involved in a training ground “bust-up” after his recent omission from the team.

 

There were also reports that Houllier had “crunch” talks over his Villa Park future with the club’s American owner Randy Lerner and chief executive Paul Faulkner in a Manchester hotel, in the wake of Villa’s 4-0 loss at Eastlands.

These reports have been refuted by all sides and it is believed that the Villa hierarchy will back the former Liverpool boss with funds for the forthcoming January transfer window.

But an early deal for French under-19 international captain Gueida Fofana looks to have fallen through because of the youngster’s excessive wage demands.

Houllier tried to remain positive after the defeat to Spurs, claiming that it was “a poor result but not a poor performance.”

But he admitted that “we have to bring confidence back into the team” after the Eastlands drubbing. He added:

“(Manchester City’s) task was made easier by their early goal, which hit the morale of the team.

“We now have another difficult game at Chelsea and our confidence is something we need to address.”

Houllier received a boost ahead of the visit to the out-of-form EPL title holders on Sunday, with the news that striker Emile Heskey will be available for selection having recovered fro an ankle injury sustained against Tottenham.

However, full-back Luke Young is unlikely to recover from his ankle injury in time for Sunday.

Houllier noted: “Luke still feels his ankle and I would be surprised if he is fit for Chelsea. But Emile should be OK.”

The £800,000 deal for Le Havre midfielder Fofana fell through despite meetings with the player in Birmingham this week. Houllier said an agreement had “not been reached.”

And he added: “You’ve got to have a balance in terms of wages and abilities. It’s more likely not to happen.”