View: Danny Ings could be made for Unai Emery system at Aston Villa
Danny Ings’ performance for Aston Villa in their win over Brighton has shown he is a lot more than just a clinical goalscorer for Unai Emery’s side.
Everyone is aware of Ings’ finishing quality, with the striker one of the best in the business when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net. Ings has seven goals and one assist in the 2022/23 season and in what has been a largely disappointing campaign for Villa, this isn’t a bad total.
However, against Brighton, the Villa striker was so much more than just a goal threat for Unai Emery’s side. His heat map below shows how the forward pretty much covered every single blade of grass on the pitch, with the majority of his work actually coming out wide or in his own half.
Ings harassed and was a thorn in Brighton’s side all afternoon, much like the whole of the Villa side were, with Emery’s men looking to be aggressive in their pressing and their tackling as a whole. The Villans managed a 70 per cent duel success rate (Wyscout) on the South coast which indicates all the players were invested in being aggressive towards their hosts.
Ings in particular was looking to always be on the front foot when his side were out of possession. The image below displays just one example of the Villa striker looking to press Robert Sanchez in the Brighton net. Sanchez is known for his distribution, but with Ings closing him down so quickly he has no option but to go long.
Having a striker who is willing to press from the front, make runs in behind and constantly be on the move could really suit Emery’s style of play. Ings won all of his defensive duels and also made two interceptions during the 90 minutes.
If Villa continue to hunt in packs when pressing the opposition, Ings could well see the goals begin to flow on a much more regular basis. His second goal against Brighton was the perfect example of how Villa can win the ball up high and feed the likes of Ings in excellent goalscoring positions.
The 30-year-old will be eager to hit the ground running when the Premier League returns in late December.
In other news, Unai Emery is set to ask the Aston Villa board to sign two Real Madrid players