Villa must handle the pressure

London - Aston Villa players must accept and cope with the pressure they are under as they battle to retain their Premier League status, manager Tim Sherwood said on Monday.

Sherwood has overseen two defeats since taking the job and Villa lie second from bottom with 11 matches left, putting their 27-year stay in the top flight in peril heading into Tuesday's home game against West Bromwich Albion.

"The pressure should be on them already. If they are not feeling the pressure being second bottom of the league, playing for a massive club like Aston Villa then something is seriously wrong," the new manager told a news conference.