ALEX McLeish has threatened to axe any Villa players who shirk their defensive duties at set-pieces, in a no-nonsense bid to eradicate conceding goals at corners.

McLeish is still seething at how the claret and blues switched off for Manchester City’s first and third goals in Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.

And he has warned his players that failing to track and mark their opponents when defending corners and free-kicks could lead to them being dropped from the team.

Villa’s boss will cut last weekend’s culprits some slack because they were up against title-chasing City, but insists he will be less tolerant of future lapses.

“I’m not going to point the finger at anybody here and now,” said Big Eck.

“But I’ve told the players that if you don’t pick up men when you’re supposed to then it could cost you your place in the team.

“It happened at City but if we’d have defended like that against Dulwich Hamlet we’d have lost goals and that’s a fact.

“The fact it was City then perhaps I can look at the whole thing again and say because it was them I’ll throw out an amnesty.

“But if we continue to lose goals like that against other teams we’re expected to take points against then it’s going to be a long season.

“They were ridiculous goals – set-pieces where we weren’t doing our job and picking up.

“Quite simply if that continues it will be difficult for me to keep players in the team if they aren’t going to adhere to the instructions. I have told the players that.”

McLeish reckons Villa’s setpiece concessions against City were due to a lack of organisation and concentration rather than players losing their individuals battles.

But he has told his defenders, midfielders and attackers they must all take responsibility and follow routine instructions about who to pick up in different scenarios.