View: Aston Villa must expose glaring Southampton weaknesses in Premier League clash
Aston Villa head to the South Coast on Saturday to face a resurgent Southampton side who have picked up in recent weeks under Nathan Jones.
The Saints are coming off the back of a vital 2-1 away win against Everton having also recently dumped Manchester City out of the League Cup. Villa’s win against Leeds was essential but far from vintage – and Unai Emery must find a better tune out of his side if he wants to leave St Mary’s with three points.
However, the Saints have been struggling for a reason in the 2022/23 season and there are certainly many ways Emery’s side can look to hurt Jones’ men on Saturday (21 January). Here Villa News looks at some of the ways Villa can exploit Southampton’s weaknesses.
Firstly, the Saints have a vulnerability when it comes to the types of goals they concede, particularly from headers. According to Wyscout, only three teams currently conceded more goals from headers than Southampton.
Interestingly, no side has competed in more aerial duels than Nathan Jones’ side during the 2022/23 season, with the Saints averaging 41 per 90 minutes. However, they rank in the bottom five teams when it comes to their success rate in the air.
Clearly, they have an issue when it comes to defending crosses and higher balls into their box and this is something the Villans should be looking to exploit. Villa are middle of the pack when it comes to the number of crosses they look to get into the box and if they can up their 31 per cent accuracy rate, there’s a chance they could hurt their hosts on Saturday.
Moving on, Southampton’s goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu is also a player the Villans should be looking to target. The talented 20-year-old is currently experiencing his first season in the top flight and it’s certainly been a learning curve. No keeper has conceded more goals than Bazunu and he currently has the lowest number of prevented goals in the Premier League (-8.32).
He’s capable of making an impressive reflex save from time to time, but if Villa can muster a good amount of shots on the Saints’ goal, there’s a good chance the likes of Danny Ings will be far too clinical for the young Irish shot-stopper.
Southampton under Ralph Hasenhüttl were known for being a high-pressing side, however, that’s not quite the story this season. The Saints are now far more comfortable allowing opposing teams possession and have the fourth-lowest in the Premier League. There’s an opportunity for Emery’s side to really grab hold of the game and dominate the ball.
This is a game which cannot pass the Villans by, but if they turn up and conduct themselves in the right manner and execute a game plan, there’s every chance they could bring three points back to the West Midlands.
In other Aston Villa news, this one first-team player could quickly become a fan-favourite after his brilliant performance against Leeds in the Premier League.