Things seemed routine for Manchester City in the first half of this game as they created chances with their positional play system which stretched Aston Villa’s defense with width. In the second half though, Villa’s depth-focused attacking play began to cut through City, with Ollie Watkins scoring twice. Tactical analysis and match report by Josh […]
For the fifth time in his managerial career, the Europa League bowed to Unai Emery, as he guided Aston Villa to their first major European trophy since 1982. Freiburg simply had no answers to the Villains’ superiority—neither in the air, nor on the ground, nor from dead-ball situations. Tactical analysis and match report by Achraf Lamdarhri. We […]
Liverpool’s possession structure looked somewhat unbalanced against Aston Villa’s compact defensive block while the home side were dangerous in attack, exploiting the space in behind Liverpool’s defense. The resulting four-goal haul was enough to see off Liverpool and mathematically secure Villa’s place in the top five. Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley. Aston Villa […]
Aston Villa produced a scintillating second-leg performance at Villa Park to overturn a first-leg deficit and dismantle Nottingham Forest 4-0. The most successful Europa League manager Unai Emery’s side secured a 4-1 aggregate victory to reach the Europa League final, ending Forest’s continental fairy tale in ruthless fashion. On a night where the Midlands atmosphere […]
Nottingham Forest secured a slender but vital 1-0 advantage in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final against Premier League rivals Aston Villa. In a high-stakes encounter at a rocking City Ground, Vitor Pereira’s men showcased tactical discipline and resilience to blunt Unai Emery’s side. A second-half penalty from Chris Wood proved to be […]
The various races for continental competition in the English topflight are messier than ever, and this match in the Midlands added to the twists and turns. Seven goals at Villa Park produced a spectacle for supporters, but the hosts had the last laugh as their run-in continues to go to plan. Tactical analysis and match […]
Vincenzo Italiano kept his cards close. Not many drastic changes to the starting eleven, but it became clear when the fullbacks had swapped sides from the first leg. Whether it was for better tracking of Aston Villa’s wide center-midfielders, better access inside or for more isolation for the winger against opposition fullback, Bologna was worse […]
This followed the Unai Emery script, but after winning this competition four times, could one expect any different? Jonathan Rowe caused havoc, but Aston Villa found a way to puncture Bologna’s tyres. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. Unai Emery, with a team named Villa, brings an air of inevitability in European competition. […]
These two teams were level on points going into this game in the race for Champions League football. Manchester United had some issues breaking down Aston Villa’s compact defensive block in open play, while Villa’s box midfield was interesting but did not lead to clear chances. In the end, a flurry of second-half goals decided […]
In a rematch of their UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final two years ago, Aston Villa travelled to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy to face Lille OSC in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16. Lille were hoping for revenge following a heated penalty shootout, but they would have to settle for a good performance […]