Aston Villa have been defensively solid in recent weeks, but have also lacked a cutting edge over the past month
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery(Image: Getty Images)
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Aston Villa have scored just one goal from open play in their last five matches across all competitions.
Unai Emery’s side have been knocked out of the FA Cup and have seen their buffer inside the top five shrink to six points during that time.
Aside from the dramatic 3-2 win over RB Salzburg, which came in the match after beating Newcastle United 2-0 at St James' Park, the obvious reason for Villa’s lack of creativity in recent weeks has been the absence of three key midfielders.
Boubacar Kamara is ruled out for the rest of the season, while Youri Tielemans will not return until after the March international break, and John McGinn is targeting a comeback within the next fortnight.
All three players have missed the last six matches, during which Villa have won just one of their last five games - a victory that came via a late Jack Hinshelwood own goal against a Brighton side who had won only one of their previous 12 league matches before travelling to Villa Park earlier this month.
Three of the four goals Villa have scored in their last five matches have come from set-pieces, one of which - against Newcastle in the cup - appeared offside.
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Three of Villa’s last four league goals have also been scored in the final five minutes of normal time (86th, 88th and 88th minutes). That trend is unlikely to be sustainable, given their lack of open-play goals and the late timing of them.
On the positive side, Villa boast the best defensive record since the turn of the year, conceding just four goals in six league games. However, their attacking numbers are a cause for concern, with only Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers scoring fewer goals than Villa in the last six league matches.
This season, Villa have created 260 chances in 27 matches. However, Tielemans, McGinn and Kamara have contributed to 25 per cent of that total and have not featured in the last four league games.
Tielemans ranks second in the squad for chances created (26), big chances created (four) and assists (two), while McGinn ranks third for both chances and big chances created.
Morgan Rogers has been Villa’s chief creator this season, but Emery is clearly missing quality in midfield to supply his forwards consistently.
Last season, Tielemans created the most chances (61) and big chances (16) of any Villa player in the league.
Limited chance creation is impacting Ollie Watkins’ form, although Tammy Abraham has scored in successive matches - both from set-pieces. While impressive finishes in their own right, Villa’s open-play issues remain the more pressing concern.
Watkins recorded 56 goal involvements across the previous two seasons but has just nine this campaign, with eight goals and one assist.
He has missed the fourth-most big chances in the division this season (13). However, the likes of Erling Haaland, Igor Thiago, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Hugo Ekitike also feature in the top 10 for both big chances missed and goals scored.
Seven strikers in the top flight have scored more goals than Watkins this season. That is by no means disastrous, but there is clearly room for improvement for a team that has been among the top three sides in the competition for much of the campaign.
Although goals are down, another concern is Watkins only registering one assist this season - which may help explain his reduced overall output.
Villa need to involve Watkins more, with his intelligent runs into channels and across defenders going unnoticed too often, a problem that has been exacerbated by the absence of McGinn and Tielemans in recent weeks.
Villa were also without Tielemans for a six-game spell earlier this season after he suffered a calf injury in the 0-0 draw at Everton in September.
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