View: Aston Villa may look to use shorter passing style under Unai Emery
Unai Emery is set to take the reigns at Aston Villa after Steven Gerrard’s sacking and the Spaniard heads to Villa Park with an impressive CV.
Four Europa League titles, a Champions League semi-final, Arsene Wenger’s successor and previous manager of PSG. It’s safe to say he’s got the pedigree to take Villa to the next level, without needing immense financial backing, with his Villarreal success a good example.
What most Villa fans will be eager to find out is how the 50-year-old’s style of play will differ from what they were seeing under Gerrard. Here Villa News compares the underlying statistics behind both managers and what fans could expect from Emery’s side.
Firstly, and this may come as a surprise to many, there’s not a huge difference in the way Emery likes to play compared to Gerrard when looking at the underlying numbers (Wyscout).
Villarreal and Villa this season have pressed teams in a very similar way so far in the 2022/23 season. Passes per defensive action (PPDA), is basically the average number of passes allowed before they win the ball back, and this season there has been a small difference between Emery’s Villarreal and Gerrard under Villa.
Another similarity comes in the number of shots they have put in 90 minutes, with both Villa and Villarreal averaging around 11. Furthermore, Gerrard and Emery’s teams have both averaged a pass length of 19 meters this season, which indicated there won’t be a drastic change in the style of play under the Spaniard.
However, Villa fans should expect a slightly more methodical style of play, utilising shorter passes and more possession. Villarreal have averaged ten per cent more possession than Villa this season (55 per cent) and look to play at a slightly slower pace.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise with LaLiga being a slightly more technical, slower-paced league than the Premier League. The Spanish side have amassed more passes per possession and a much lower long-pass percentage than Villa.
It may not be drastic changes in style of play but it will be intriguing to see if Villa look to play in more condensed spaces, as opposed to looking to move teams round with their passing as they tried to under Gerrard.
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