The Villans appear to be running out of steam after a superb start to the season, with a pivotal clash against the resurgent Red Devils up next
"To be honest with you, I watched Aston Villa and I can't believe the scoreline. Honestly Aston Villa played fantastic football and just lost to bad goals," legendary former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said to after seeing Newcastle thrash Villa 5-1 at St James' Park on the opening weekend of the season. "It's a surprising game, football. You can play teams off the pitch and not score – that's what Aston Villa did."
There are very few figures in football with sharper powers of judgement than Ferguson. Newcastle rightfully earned all the headlines after their statement victory, but the Scot shrewdly observed the potential of Unai Emery's swashbuckling side, and they've since unlocked it to overtake the Magpies in the Champions League qualification reckoning.
Villa sat fourth in the Premier League table after 23 games, 13 points clear of Newcastle and eight ahead of United, who are set to visit Villa Park on Sunday. There's no question that Villa have enjoyed a fantastic season so far and Emery is exceeding expectations. However, recent signs suggest they may not be able to stay the course.
Villa have won just three of their last nine games across all competitions, with their latest setback coming in the form of a 3-1 loss at home to Chelsea in an FA Cup fourth-round replay. "We lost more balls than normal. In our medium block, we were not being strong and they were being a threat in behind," Emery admitted in his post-match press conference. "Of course, sometimes the performances of the players could be better."
That lack of intensity is becoming a worrying theme for Villa, and Emery must bring the collective standards in his squad back up quickly, or else all the work put in up to this point will be for nothing.
GettyComplacency setting in
Villa Park was a fortress in the first half of the season, and Emery's side went into their fixture against rock-bottom Sheffield United on December 22 knowing a win would take them top of the Premier League. Villa had picked up a club-record 15 successive victories on home soil, and were overwhelming favourites to extend that run, but the Blades didn't read the pre-match script.
Sheffield United silenced the crowd in the 87th minute when Cameron Archer scored from close range, after spending the majority of the game camped in their own half. With just seconds remaining in stoppage-time, Nicolas Zaniolo grabbed an equaliser to spare Villa's blushes, but it was still a huge missed opportunity.
Four days later, Villa went to Old Trafford aiming to bounce back, and raced into a two-goal lead inside 30 minutes, only to capitulate in the second half as United completed a thrilling 3-2 comeback win. Complacency set in and the Red Devils ended up bulldozing Villa, who were fortunate the scoreline wasn't a lot wider in the end.
It was a similar story in the 3-1 reversal against Newcastle at the end of January, as Villa lost their unbeaten home record after another uninspired display in attack and defence. Emery's men looked tired, flat-footed, and devoid of the adventurous spirit that had underpinned their brilliant start to the season.
AdvertisementGetty Cracking under pressure
Of all Villa's recent performances, though, the loss to Chelsea was the most alarming. Mauricio Pochettino's disjointed team are sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League standings, and went into the game off the back of a humiliating home defeat to Wolves.
There are 15 points currently separating Villa and Chelsea, but there was certainly no evident gulf in class on Wednesday. In fact, it was the Blues who were technically and physically superior on the night, as Villa gave away possession cheaply and lost the majority of second balls.
So what exactly has changed for Villa? For one thing, Emery is still playing with more less the same starting XI week in, week out. Fatigue is becoming a serious problem, and it'll only get worse once the Conference League resumes later this month.
Villa are not blessed with the same depth as their top-four rivals, and Emery clearly doesn't dare to risk any significant rotation – a stance he may have to soften to inspire a return to form. But it does also feel like a number of star players have taken their foot off the gas.
The likes of Douglas Luiz, Ollie Watkins and Youri Tielemans all dazzled in Villa's 5-0 win at Sheffield United on February 3 to right the wrongs of their December meeting. There is still so much quality in this Villa squad, and tiredness is not a good enough excuse for how little they've flexed their full power over the past two months.
Whether it's down to a lack of inner-belief or a case of imposter syndrome, with certain stars starting to crack under the weight of increased expectation, only Emery will know. But he's worked with plenty of big names and personalities over the course of his career, and must come up with the answers.
GettyKonsa hammer blow
Villa's unsung hero under Emery has undoubtedly been Ezri Konsa, who stepped up admirably after Tyrone Mings suffered an ACL injury in their opening game of the season. Konsa has remained in his favoured right-back position for the most part, but has looked equally assured when filling in at centre-half, with his general positioning and decision-making right up there with the best defenders in English football.
Konsa had been ever-present for Villa in the Premier League this term, until an unfortunate collision with the post during their recent win over Sheffield United left him with a sprained knee. Emery has since confirmed that the 26-year-old is facing "three or four weeks" on the sidelines, meaning he could miss Villa's next four games.
Villa looked significantly weaker in his absence against Chelsea. Pau Torres is the man most likely to replace Konsa, and he was back on the bench in the FA Cup tie, but didn't see any minutes, and clearly needs a bit more time to return to full fitness after missing five games through injury himself.
Even then, Torres will struggle to fill the void left by Konsa, who has proven himself as a superb all-round defender and athlete, as reflected by his integration into the England squad. With Mings still working towards a firm return date and Lucas Digne also on the treatment table, United will be licking their lips at the prospect of facing Villa's depleted defensive line.
GETTYUnited on the up
United produced their best showing of the entire 2023-24 campaign against Villa at Old Trafford after Alejandro Garnacho was moved over to the right wing ahead of Brazilian flop Antony. Finally the Red Devils had some proper zip to their play in the final third, and Villa couldn't cope, with Garnacho scoring a quick-fire brace to lead their fightback before Rasmus Hojlund popped up to bag the winner – and his first-ever Premier League goal.
The hosts were unfortunate to go in at the break two goals down, and had no problem moving up one more gear to overpower Villa. United will fancy their chances of earning a far more comfortable victory on Sunday at a venue that no longer has the same fear factor it did in the early months of the season.
Garnacho and Hojlund will certainly be determined to silence the Villa Park crowd as they continue to build an exciting partnership. The United duo linked up to great effect again during the 3-0 win over West Ham last time out, and were backed up by an improved Marcus Rashford, who seems to have shaken himself back into life after being punished for an ill-advised drinking binge in Belfast.
That renewed attacking spark has eased pressure on Ten Hag as United have racked up five wins from their last seven games, and the Dutchman has also been boosted by the return of key personnel. The Red Devils look much more solid defensively with Casemiro, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire back in the fold, and confidence is building in the squad for the first time this season.
The only downside is the fact Lisandro Martinez won't continue to be part of the revival, with the Argentine having suffered another serious knock against West Ham, but United do have enough defensive cover to cope, and with the goals now flowing, it might not prove to be too huge a loss.