View: Goal stat shows Aston Villa must cut out persistent fouls
Aston Villa are currently the “dirtiest” team in the Premier League with Unai Emery’s side propping up the disciplinary table so far in the 2022/23 season.
Villa have picked up 37 yellow cards and one red card from their 15 matches so far, which is nearly three times as many as Manchester City, who are the best-behaved team in the league (Yorkshire Evening Post). In the grand scheme of things, fans could not care one bit when it comes to how many cautions their team picks up, it’s purely all about getting a result.
Unsurprisingly, Villa have given away the most fouls in the Premier League (179), with Emery’s side committing nearly 11 per 90 minutes (Wyscout).
Firstly, let’s look at why Villa are giving away so many free kicks. The Villans haven’t been at their best in the early part of the 2022/23 campaign, with Emery’s men being guilty of giving the ball away. Villa have relinquished possession 1528 times this season, which puts them in the top seven in the league for losing possession.
Furthermore, Villa have been aggressive when looking to win the ball back with their passes per defensive action (PPDA) ranking in the top eight in the Premier League (10.55).
To explain it easily, the West Midlands side are giving the ball away a lot, but are then aggressive and intent on winning it back quickly, which can result in fouls being given away.
So what impact are the high number of fouls having on Aston Villa’s ability to keep the ball out of their net?
Out of Villa’s 22 goals they have conceded in the league, six have come from penalties or free-kick situations. It could well be cause for concern with over 30 per cent of the goals coming from fouls being given away. Emery will be looking to keep Villa aggressive, but it’s important for the Spaniard to potentially cut the discipline issue out of his side.
Surprisingly, it’s not just one player who’s a repeat offender for Aston Villa. Only John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara sit in the top 30 players for the number of fouls committed this season.
McGinn has the highest out of any Villa player (20) and still doesn’t rank in the top ten. This indicates the problem is a squad-wide issue. When looking at fouls per 90 minutes, Villa do have more representation in the top 30 players, with Leon Bailey committing over 1.5 fouls per game.
With Emery getting to work on the training pitch with his players, the 51-year-old will be looking to iron out the deficiencies which currently plague his squad. Against Brighton, we saw the way the Spaniard wants to be aggressive and make like tough for the opposition, with his side picking up 7 yellow cards.
However, in a game of fine margins, cutting out the consistent free kicks could well cut down the number of goals Villa concede in the second half of the season.
In other news, Aston Villa Academy: Josh Feeney has ‘huge future’ after signing new Nike deal.