View: Aston Villa must take advantage of worst defence in the league against Fulham
Steven Gerrard and Aston Villa have a golden chance to silence their critics when they face a Fulham side with one of the worst defences in the Premier League.
Villa travel to Craven Cottage on Thursday evening (20 October) to face Marco Silva’s side who have enjoyed a good start in their return to the top flight.
Despite the West London side currently sitting 11th in the Premier League it’s fair to say their defensive performance has ranked among some of the worst in the top flight.
Silva’s side have the worst expected goals against (XGA, Wyscout) in the division with 21.89. Fulham have conceded 20 goals so far which isn’t the worst in the league, but their underlying numbers do suggest they will soon boast, one of, if not the worst record in the top flight.
Leicester City have conceded the most goals in the league but have an XGA of 14.14, which suggests their defensive performance will improve, the same cannot be said of Fulham.
They give away over eleven shots against each match, which is the fifth highest in the league and with their high XGA, it also means they’re giving away a high quality of chance.
There is a huge chance for Villa to really get going in an attacking sense on Thursday evening and if they can’t the writing may well be on the wall for Gerrard.
Fulham have been exposed particularly when the ball is played in behind their defence. West Ham targetted the weakness well in their 3-1 win at the London Stadium and Newcastle were destructive at Craven Cottage.
The images above show the disorganised nature of Fulham’s back line with there being large gaps in the defence for Michail Antonio to exploit in behind. They like to be bold and play with a relatively high line which could see Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins thrive.
Miguel Almiron’s goal for Newcastle is another example of how Fulham’s back four can be exposed whilst running towards their own goal. The image above displays Newcastle committing three players in behind before the ball eventually is squared across the box.
It’s time for Gerrard to be brave and really commit men forward in an attacking sense. If he cannot solve his goalscoring woes against Fulham then something is seriously wrong at Villa Park.
In other Aston Villa news, three things learned from Villa’s defeat to Chelsea