After their capitulation in the latter stages of last season’s campaign, it would be reasonable to say that few of us foresaw Aston Villa competing for a Champions League place this season. A home defeat to Wigan in August’s opener merely validated these beliefs, but Martin O’Neill’s boys have shown great resilience in recent games.
Having already beaten Liverpool away (as well as comfortably holding the much-hyped Manchester City to a 1-1 draw in their last game) Villa added another “Big Four” scalp to their collection, with Chelsea falling to a 2-1 defeat last Saturday. As the season unwinds, it’s becoming apparent this campaign will be the most open for many a year, and Villa have comprehensively shown any doubters they are in with a Top 4 shout.
Martin O’Neill has taken a more traditional route to tactics and personnel acquisitions this term, and so far, these key changes seem to be paying off…With Villa’s double gameweek just around the corner, one or two of their players could perhaps be an idea.
Formation
Last season, Villa were far better a side on their travels than at home; away, they won 10 times, but managed only 7 victories in front of their own fans, where their 4-3-3 formation was perhaps less-suited. The switch to 4-4-2 seems to have given them more solidity, whilst the speed and trickery of Young, Milner and Agbonlahor continues to trouble opponents on the counter.
Good Ol’ Fashioned Centre Forward
At 6 foot 5, John Carew (7.6m in FPL) is the ideal Premiership target man and playing as part of front two, takes the pressure of Gabriel Agbonlahor as a ball winner. This chalkboard sums up Carew’s role in the team perfectly; of all tackles/one-on-ones won by Villa on Saturday, Carew was responsible for a quarter of them. Whether linking up play with the afore-mentioned trio of speed merchants, or simply available as a get-out ball to relieve his defence, Carew suits Villa’s team perfectly.
Less Pressing and Possession
The formation also means they are more compact and keep their shape better. This chalkboard shows that of all the tackles Villa made in their last two Premiership games, almost none were made in the opponent’s final third.
These chalkboards of their last two home games (against Chelsea and Man City) show how they are happy to concede possession to their opponents, get behind the ball and make the path to their goal a difficult one.
Two New Martin Laursens?
When their inspirational Dane retired halfway through last season, Villa were noticeably weaker at the back. O’Neill seems to have pulled off not one but two masterstrokes in securing the services of Richard Dunne (5.5m in FPL) and James Collins (4.8m in FPL) at centre half. £11m for the pair seems ridiculous in today’s market, considering Fabricio Coloccini went to Newcastle for £10m last term.
Dunne, unwanted at Man City, and Collins, allowed to speak to Stoke by his previous employers West Ham, have given the defence a much-needed steel and, like Laursen, are weighing in with goals as well as consistently committed performances.
Dunne’s two goals in his last two games and man of the match performance against old club City deservedly caught the eye, but Collins’ goal on Saturday came on top of a magnificent defensive show; no wonder O’Neill reckons he’s under-rated. As this chalkboard illustrates, five of Villa’s seven blocks against Chelsea were made by Collins alone.
Set-piece Menaces
An interesting statistic cropped up at the weekend that pretty much sums up Villa’s mentality; nine of their twelve goals have come from set-pieces. Villa, in turn, have yet to concede a single goal from a set-piece so far this Premiership season. James Milner and Ashley Young, as the team’s principal set-piece takers, are surely, therefore, worth thinking about, though Milner, at 7.1m FPL-wise, is perhaps more value for money than the pricier Young’s 8.3m.
This final chalkboard shows Villa’s goal attempts in their last two games; very few in comparison to most teams, but, by playing to their strengths, they’ve walked away with 4 points out of 6 against teams of a higher technical calibre.
Martin O’Neill & co are showing it doesn’t take hundreds of millions of pounds to be a success in the Premiership; a strong, committed, organised and disciplined team can be more than a match for the most thoughtful of football thinkers, it seems; Rafa and Carlo can vouch for that.