View: Tyrone Mings stat shows Aston Villa must go back to basics
Tyrone Mings is a player who divides opinion amongst the Aston Villa faithful with the England international capable of throwing in a disastrous moment from time to time.
He’s had his issues in the 2022/23 season with his mistake against Chelsea gifting Mason Mount a goal during their victory at Villa Park. Unfortunately for Mings, moments like that are costing the defender, with Villa being the better team against Graham Potters’ side.
With Emery now in charge, Mings could see the change in management as an opportunity to put his past mistakes behind him and really show that he’s one of the more competent defenders in the Premier League. Fans will be hoping that mistakes such as the image below are now a rare occurrence.
With Emery taking the helm at Villa Park, it’s up to the Spaniard to try and get the best out of Mings and considering the injury to Diego Carlos, the 29-year-old is likely to be the mainstay in Villa’s defence for the remainder of the season.
So let’s look at how the Spaniard can get the best out of the defender. Firstly, stripping everything back to the basics would be a good option. Mings is at his best when he’s given the simple task of being physical, clearing crosses and winning headers.
Every team needs a defender who’s no-nonsense to give the rest of the side confidence defensively. Potentially under Steven Gerrard, the 29-year-old was overthinking his role in the team when realistically he is there to keep the ball out of his net.
Mings is the third most Aerially dominant central defender in the Premier League with 69 per cent which puts him above Virgil van Dijk in the standings (stats from Wyscout). It’s clear he is confident in his ability to win balls in the air, particularly in his own box, with 14 duels so far inside the area.
So has there been any significant difference in Mings’ play since Emery has taken the job at Villa Park?
Against Manchester United and Brighton the 29-year-old won all of his aerial duels and was a big part of both victories, particularly against the Seagulls where he also managed eleven interceptions.
In Gerrard’s last two games against Fulham and Chelsea, Mings won one out of his six duels. So what has led to the slight uptick in form? Against Brighton, Villa were more than happy to give up possession in wider areas and back Mings and Ezri Konsa to clear the ball when it was delivered into the box.
Against Fulham and Chelsea, Mings was potentially tasked with more than he needed to be. Gerrard wanted his central defenders to start attacks and be progressive in their passing which potentially led to Mings not paying more attention to his defensive duties.
In Gerrard’s last two matches, Mings averaged 41 passes compared to 29 in Emery’s opening fixtures in the Villa job. He is a player who is clearly impacted heavily by confidence and potentially overloading him with too many responsibilities could have a negative impact on his performance.
When he’s at his best he’s one of the best defenders at Villa Park, and Emery must ensure that he puts his defensive responsibilities above everything else. If he does, the Spaniard could have a very solid base to build success off of at Aston Villa.
In other Aston Villa news, a new passing stat shows Unai Emery must keep Jacob Ramsey in an advanced position