Dominant Villa Exceeds Expectations In Comfortable Victory
Aston Villa made it 12 wins in a row at home against a lackluster Luton Town side, demonstrating how they can progressively take care of bottom half Premier League sides by controlling games. Moussa Diaby, John Mcginn, and an own goal from Tom Lockyer secured the three points, before a terrible mix-up involving Ezri Konsa and Emi Martinez provided a consolation for the visitors.
Villa’s dominance was aided by their 71% possession. Villa looked quite comfortable on the ball, whether it was holding the ball in defensive zones or keeping the ball moving through the channels; granted, they were permitted to hold the ball and wait for movement.
How Not to Be a Villain
Luton elected to absorb the majority of Villa’s domination, with six defenders spanning the backline and three midfielders directly in front of them to try to block channels and passing paths. Villa had 77% possession at halftime, emphasizing this point.
Luton gave Villa the freedom to move the ball around the defense, midfield, and channels. Both Villa defenders got over 100 touches, demonstrating how comfortable the defense was in possession. It allowed Villa to hone their build-up play and look for gaps in Luton’s defense. It also allowed Villa to control the tempo and impose their own style of play.
Only in the second half did Villa become sloppy on the ball, allowing counter-attacks, most of which occurred down the right as Matty Cash surged forward to create the overlap.
Luton’s 18 progressive passes to Villa’s 45 demonstrated how defensive Luton was.
Villa’s Form
Emery’s formation, which goes beyond the 4-4-2 on paper, has a decidedly fluid quality to it. In possession, both Lucas Digne and Matty Cash function like wing-backs, with Boubacar Kamara often stepping back into defense to create a 3-5-2 when Villa attack, and Douglas Luiz getting involved higher up in a central midfield role.
Instead of playing in a wider position, Villa’s usage of Moussa Diaby off Ollie Watkins in a secondary striker role has been a game changer. His movements during a game are unpredictable, making it difficult for defenses to pin him down. If Leon Bailey is on the field at the same time, it presents a triple threat down the right side of Diaby, Bailey, and Cash, which has paid off this season.
Emery has started eight players in every Premier League game this season, with Pau Torres playing nine and coming on as a substitute in one, and Emi Martinez only missing one game due to injury, indicating that he has a set 10 players in his starting lineups. This has contributed to familiarity with Emery’s directions, which is paying off in terms of results. When compared to Villa’s next opponents, Nottingham Forest, the only player who has ever started is their goalie.
Moussa Diaby, the club’s record acquisition, scored his first goal at Villa Park, sending a half-volley wonderfully into the bottom corner.
His game statistics:
1 goal, 74% pass accuracy, 1 shot on goal, 50% dribble completion rate, 1 vital pass, 1 major opportunity created 7.9 (best in match) sofascore rating
His quickness caused problems for the Luton backline, as evidenced by Lockyer’s assist on his own goal. Boubacar Kamara played the ball over the defensive line, and Moussa used his speed to pounce on it and spray it across the box, where a Luton player accidently turned it into the net.
It rounded off a fantastic week with an easy win and possession dominance. Villa Park has now scored 20 goals in five games, erecting a true fortress.
Following the upcoming trip to Forest, sees the Fulham visit at home. Two winnable games and a chance for Villa to get into the top five before the tougher tests ahead.
