Aston Villa need to start matches better as they look to regain form with Champions League qualification the target in the final third of the Premier League
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery(Image: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock)
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One of Aston Villa’s biggest strengths this season also reveals a worrying weakness.
After failing to win any of their opening five league matches, Unai Emery’s side have shown similarly concerning form in recent weeks, winning just two of their last seven games.
Before drawing with Leeds and beating Brighton at home, Villa suffered successive league defeats at Villa Park against Everton and Brentford.
Late goals against Brighton and Leeds - both from set-pieces - secured valuable points, but Villa’s goals have dried up recently. Their performances need improvement just as much as their results.
From early November to late December, Villa were one of the form teams in Europe, winning eight matches in a row, with defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal coming either side of that imperious run.
That streak provided Emery’s side with a healthy buffer inside the top five for several weeks. However, their gap to sixth place has now been reduced to just six points following Liverpool’s late win at Nottingham Forest.
During Villa’s remarkable eight-match winning run, half of their victories came from losing positions. In fact, their first five away league wins - against Tottenham, Leeds, Brighton, West Ham and Chelsea - all showcased the team’s resilience, turning zero points into three.
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Although Villa were unable to repeat their comeback heroics against Leeds, Tammy Abraham’s late equaliser ensured that Villa have now won 19 points from losing positions in the Premier League this season.
That is more than any other side, and only in 1993–94 (21 points) have Villa won more from losing positions in a top-flight campaign.
However, while their character has been admirable, it also highlights a recurring issue: Villa need to start matches better and play on the front foot more often. Before Anton Stach opened the scoring for Leeds, they looked more like the away side.
Partly due to their slow starts, Villa have won just one of their last four Premier League matches at Villa Park. Prior to that run, they had failed to win only two of their previous 15 home league games.
Only eight Premier League teams have scored fewer first half goals than third-placed Villa (14) this season. They have also trailed more often than they have led at half-time, recording seven wins, 12 draws and eight defeats at the break.
For comparison, among teams currently in the top half of the table, only Fulham have a worse first half record than Villa this term.
Villa’s second half record tells a different story. Only Arsenal have won more second halves than Emery’s side, although Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Fulham and Manchester United have scored more goals after the break.
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