View: Three things learned about Aston Villa in defeat v Chelsea
The pressure on Steven Gerrard failed to ease as Aston Villa suffered another damaging defeat at the hands of Graham Potter’s rejuvenated Chelsea side.
Two goals from Mason Mount means the boos rang out yet again from the Villa faithful as calls for Gerrard to be relieved of his duties continue to grow.
It was a case of the same problems arising for Villa after a relatively positive display with a lack of cutting edge really hindering any progress being made at Villa Park. Here Villa News highlights three things learned from their defeat on Sunday [16 October].
Striker hunt
It’s not something new for fans to learn but their inability to put the ball in the back of the net is dramatically impacting their fortunes so far in the 2022/23 season.
Gerrard’s men managed 18 attempts (WhoScored) compared to Chelsea’s eight efforts on target which tells you all you need to know about Villa’s goalscoring problems at the moment. Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings are simply not performing at the levels required and certainly don’t have their shooting boots on at the moment.
If Gerrard is still in the managerial hot seat come January, looking at signing a clinical striker who is in form should be top of his ‘to-do’ list.
Below shows Ings and Watkins’ average position during the clash at Villa Park and they’re essentially not spending enough time near the opponent’s box.
Ings’ expected goals for the whole season is 2.77 (Wyscout) whilst Watkins’ is 2.47. Villa simply need their two main goal threats to get into better positions and be more clinical in front of goal.
Positive signs
There were positives for Villa to take from the game and that must not be forgotten by Villa fans. This is a Chelsea side who are in good form and have quality all over the pitch.
Gerrard’s men did manage to create a good number of opportunities and have shown their build-up play is one of the few signs of life within this side. It will be hard for Villa fans to remain patient, but there could be more of a change of fortune around the corner.
The Villans had plenty of shots in good positions and with a bit of fine-tuning and on another day they would’ve left with at least a point.
Set piece improvement
Seven attempts from set pieces without more success is a disappointing statistic for Gerrard’s men. At a time when goals are hard to come by, sometimes finding a small marginal advantage can be all the difference.
Villa have a number of dominant aerial defenders and players who can deliver a quality ball into the box. With the likes of Phillippe Coutinho on free-kicks, there should be more of a continued threat from the Villans.
Gerrard simply has to work out a way to make his side more effective from the numerous chances they had to load the opposition box. Their next game on Thursday [20 October] against Fulham does now have a feel of a must-win for the Villa boss.
In other Aston Villa news, Tony Cascarino begs Aston Villa fans for patience with Steven Gerrard