Aston Villa had plenty to celebrate in the 2023/24 season but now Unai Emery has been warned of one tactical frailty that needs work this summer.
A fourth-place finish and Champions League qualification was a dream that many Aston Villa fans could only fantasize about a few years ago, however, Unai Emery made it a reality.
The Spaniard guided his spirited side to finish behind only Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the 2023/24 Premier League table, telling of the progression Villa have experienced thanks to the manager.
Now, the hard work will continue into the summer as the boss will look to bolster his squad in the transfer window although, it has been suggested that there is more to strengthen than just the personnel in the squad during the domestic interval.
Unai Emery now warned of tactical issue Aston Villa must solve
While Villa’s overall progression led them to the Champions League, there are plenty of issues to be resolved ahead of next season, as noted by tactical analyst, Jon MacKenzie.
Speaking on the Claret and Blue podcast, The Athletic analyst pointed out one tactic Emery uses that is causing Villa more problems than good, as Villa’s defence came under fire in the latter stages of 2023/24.
MacKenzie took some time to focus on Emery’s decision to instruct his players to lure press from the opposition before playing a decisive pass into central areas to push play forward, something that the analyst thinks is a ‘high-risk’ tactic.
“I think those are very high-risk passes, what I’ve started seeing is oppositions being aware of the fact that that is the out ball, a lot of the time.
“If you can step up quickly into those players in the space, get ahead of the player receiving, you then win the ball with Villa in quite an open structure.
“That’s when sometimes the two central midfielders are a little bit slow getting back into the line. I do think there are some tactical issues that are in play around why the defensive numbers have got a little worse.”
Villa conceded the most goals by far out of the top four, conceding more than Liverpool with 61 goals, a tally that put Emery’s side 10 goals below relegation-threatened Everton for the season.
Aston Villa’s lack of midfield depth causes tactical questions to be asked
MacKenzie’s points are interesting when considering how derailed Villa’s stability became when Boubacar Kamara’s season ended prematurely due to an ACL rupture.
Without the Frenchman, Villa lack an anchor in midfield, with the analyst also mentioning the defensive frailties of Youri Tielemans, Douglas Luiz and John McGinn during the podcast.
While there’s no doubt that the tactical approach can work for Emery’s side, who have caught many teams out with their ability to lure the press, the manager should be wary of playing such a way without his favoured XI available.
There will be work to be done over the summer to ensure Villa’s defensive sloppiness is amended in preparation for the 2024/25 campaign, where the Champions League in particular will truly test the Villans’ growth under Emery.
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