Lambert takes positives from draw

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert took the positives from his side’s 0-0 home draw with Sunderland on Saturday.

Villa struggled to create chances in a dour affair, and were let off the hook by Emanuele Giaccherini’s incredible miss on the stroke of half-time, as he spooned over the crossbar from three yards when it seemed easier to score.

Despite the insipid display, Lambert insisted that there were still things he could draw from the game.

“I’m disappointed not to win the game but you’ve always got to have a positive side to it,” he said.

“You’ve got to keep building. That’s four unbeaten now, you’ve got to look at the positives and that’s the beauty of it.

“That’s a game we might have lost last year, that’s the good thing. Lads have come back from injury, it’s another clean sheet, it’s another point and it’s another game unbeaten.

“I don’t think we deserved to win the game and I don’t think we deserved to lose it but it’s another clean sheet and we’ve got the same amount of clean sheets now as the whole of last year.”

One concern for Lambert, however, will have been the form of Christian Benteke, whose threat was contained by Wes Brown and John O’Shea.

The Belgian is now without a league goal since September 14, and Lambert admits that is a worry.

“He’s not scored and he’s in a bit of a barren spell,” he added. “But all players do, I’ve never seen a player who’s never gone through a barren spell.

“You’ve just got to keep going, that’s football, it builds up your character when you go through these little spells and he’ll come through it.”