View: Aston Villa have a long ball issue which needs resolving
It’s all change at Aston Villa with Unai Emery taking the reins at Villa Park after a dismal start to the season under Steven Gerrard.
The Spaniard has enjoyed a flying start to life at in the West Midlands with two Premier League wins on the spin, in relatively impressive fashion. There’s certainly a positive feeling surrounding the club at the moment, but a couple of poor results could quickly see some negativity filter back into Villa Park.
It’s quite hard to really cast a judgement on how Aston Villa set up in Emery’s first two matches against Manchester United and Brighton, with both performances being completely different. Against the Seagulls, Villa had to dig in and be defensively resolute whilst also being aggressive out of possession, whereas against Erik ten Hag’s side they were more free-flowing and looked more impressive with the ball.
However, one feature which has been a key characteristic of Villa’s play this season is the number of long passes they have utilised.
According to Wyscout, Villa are currently fourth in the league for the number of long passes they have attempted during the 2022/23 season. Emery’s side have managed 701 long passes, which is only topped by Brentford (717), Southampton (718) and Liverpool (792).
All three of these teams are known for playing high-pressing and high-intensity game with their passes per defensive action (PPDA) all ranking in the top eight in the league. However, from a Villa perspective, their long ball game has not been as effective.
When utilising long passes, there’s a general assumption a team will have players who are able to win aerial duels and use their physicality to get into good attacking positions.
So, how has Villa’s long ball game worked this season?
Compared to their fellow long-ball merchants, it’s been rather underwhelming thus far. Southampton and Brentford are ranked number one and two in the league for the number of aerial duels they’ve contested this season.
The Saints have managed 648 and the Bees have amassed 632. Villa have managed 510 with a success rate of 46 per cent. It feels as if Villa have potentially not been committed to their long ball game this season. If they’re going to cut out the midfield and look to miss out a third of the pitch, they need to be contesting more balls in the air.
At the moment, Villa don’t have a target man striker who could be better suited to the system they have adopted. Danny Ings averages just three aerial duels per 90 minutes, with a 46 per cent success rate and Ollie Watkins also struggles with a 36 per cent success rate.
Considering the Villans’ average 42 long passes per 90, they potentially need more in terms of duels from their attacking players.
A decision now awaits Emery, with the Spaniard likely to be working hard on the training pitch getting his players invested in how he wants his side to play. We’ve seen Villa look to play out from the back more often under the Spaniard, so could he already be looking to leave the longer passes in the past?
The early signs suggest the long pass is potentially set to be ditched with Villa amassing less than their season’s average in their wins over Brighton and Manchester United. Villa have averaged 45 per game this season and only managed 33 against the Seagulls.
It’s certainly a small sample size and it’s clear the opening two games were very much a case of Emery ‘getting the job done’ as opposed to implementing a new style of play. If he does persist with a more direct style, then bringing in a striker, who can hold the ball up and bring others into play should be an option.
However, there’s a strong chance the Villa boss will look to utilise a shorter passing style when the Premier League does restart and considering Villa’s inability to challenge long balls, it could be a smart move from the Spaniard.
In other Aston Villa news, Alan Hutton has called on Emi Martinez to improve his distribution.