Aston Villa will hope to right their wrongs on Thursday evening against Ajax, with one statistic revealing what Unai Emery’s team must do to bounce back in the Europa Conference League.
Aston Villa will be eager to put on a show for supporters at Villa Park on Thursday night, as Unai Emery’s side face Ajax in the second leg of the Europa Conference League Round of 16.
The Villans were held to a 0-0 draw in Amsterdam in the first leg, a result that was the beginning of a poor week for the club who then lost 4-0 to Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday.
While there is no direct correlation between the Spurs defeat and the Ajax challenge, the Midlands club will be desperate to put in an improved performance for their supporters, with the Eredivisie outfit posing the perfect challenge for a response.
Aston Villa must return to their best against Ajax
No one would have predicted the manner in which Ange Postecoglou’s side would beat Villa, as four second-half goals left the hosts’ top-four hopes wounded.
One of the critical factors in Villa’s defeat to Spurs was Emery’s baffling decision to switch up his formation, opting against the 4-4-2 set-up that has brought the squad so much success this season.
It would be expected that the boss reverts back to a back four against Ajax on Thursday, a move that will undoubtedly promote the attack to thrive by restoring some structure in midfield and at the back.
Against the North Londoners, the likes of Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey were restricted in the final third, an aspect of the game that will be integral to resolve against Ajax.
What Aston Villa must do to bounce back against Ajax
Football is simple, score goals and don’t concede, that’s how you win games.
Not many teams know that better than Villa, who have found a lot of success when scoring first in fixtures this season.
As portrayed by the figure below provided by The Other 14, no team outside of the top six has dropped fewer points from winning positions than Emery’s side, showcasing just how hard to overcome they are if given an advantage.
In the 18 games that Villa have been ahead this season in the Premier League, only three points have been dropped, making it clear to what the squad must do in order to overcome Ajax on Thursday.
Scoring first is a motivation for the hosts to aim for against their Dutch opposition at Villa Park, with it clear just how well Emery’s XI operate when they take the lead in fixtures.
The same can’t be said for John van ‘t Schip’s side, who average 0.92 goals scored in the first half of play in the Eredivisie this campaign, making a fast start even more key for the Villans.
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