Unai Emery is always at home in the company of villas. At Sevilla and Villarreal, he has defeated the Italian giants in Europe’s elite competition. Their trip to the Midlands could have completed the set, but he did not become the first man to beat Juventus with three different teams in the tournament. The quest […]
Arne Slot aimed to conquer through control, but succeeded with counterattacks to send Liverpool five points clear in the Premier League. Aston Villa were competitive throughout and conceded two preventable goals, although the visitors lacked any real open play threat with their best opportunities coming from set-pieces. Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Smoothy. […]
Aston Villa’s most memorable European triumph came against Bayern Munich 42 years ago, and they were able to claim victory over Bayern again here thanks to a well-executed defensive game-plan. Their counter-attacks posed problems for Bayern’s aggressive man-marking and eventually led to the decisive goal via Jhon Durán’s incredible finish. Tactical analysis and match report […]
Who would blink first in the battle for the summit? Arsenal approached this clash with a favor in their back pocket but could not afford to take their eye off the ball. In the end, the display disappointed the crowd for the second time in five days, casting their charge into jeopardy. Tactical analysis and […]
The future belongs to Phil Foden. Careful cradling of Manchester City’s darling has fought to foolproof his fate. However, he again asserted how he is a man for the here and now. A treble of strikes slaughtered the guests to grab three more points in the race for the Premier League title. Tactical analysis and […]
Manchester United took the lead early on and mostly attacked through transitions in this game. Aston Villa were able to carve them open on a few occasions though, as United’s man-oriented defensive system faltered. Douglas Luiz’ eventual equalizer was answered late on by substitute Scott McTominay to earn United three points. Tactical analysis and match […]
Chelsea had the better of proceedings in the first half as they restricted Aston Villa with their pressing, and were able to create the better attacks using the width and depth in their possession system. In the second half however, the tables were turned, and it was Villa who had the better of things going […]
Newcastle’s gameplan in and out of possession made them deserved winners of this match. However, Villa’s insistence of playing a high defensive line without the required engagement on the ball changed the potential narrative of this game from “opening day away loss” to “statement home victory”. Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Smoothy. The […]
Aston Villa continued their charge up the Premier League table under Unai Emery with a win over Leeds United. The visitors certainly put in an improved performance relative to their recent run of results, but it should be noted that the tactical pattern of the match suited them as Villa were happier to keep more […]
How long does it take for a tactical aspect to become vintage? Perhaps Liverpool still doesn’t control games like they used to, but they can rely on its right-sided flexibility to unlock super compact opponents. Aston Villa brought a ball-sided approach, but Liverpool’s adaptations caused them to untangle. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel […]