OPINION: Why are Aston Villa hitting a rough patch?

After almost a year unbeaten at home, Aston Villa have lost twice at home in the space of eight days.

Unai Emery’s men lost to both Newcastle in the Premier League and Chelsea in an FA Cup replay, with a demolition of Sheffield United sandwiched between the two defeats.

Both games ended in the same score, with Villa going three goals down in both before grabbing a late consolation to make it slightly more respectable.

These results are not the most concerning thing for Villa, every team goes through tough patches in a season, regardless of their level.

However, what is worrying for Villa is their performances, which have been far from their usual standard for some time now.

Ever since their frustrating draw with Sheffield United back in December, Villa have put in a string of drab, lifeless performances.

It is very easy to overreact and say that Villa have been found out, or their season is collapsing, but it is worth looking into the actual reasons behind this dip before getting overly worked up.

Villa’s foundations

Since Emery arrived at Villa Park back in 2022, their success has been built on a consistent, rock-solid defence.

It is the single most important aspect of their system, with their slow, patient build-up play requiring calm defenders who are good on the ball and build an understanding with each other over time.

Right now, this is exactly what Villa do not have.

While it has often gone unnoticed in the media, Villa have had a string of injuries to key players, most of which are defenders.

Pau Torres, arguably Villa’s best player this season, has missed the last six weeks, as has French full-back Lucas Digne.

Matty Cash has also drifted in and out of the side as the burden of being the team’s only senior right-back has weighed heavily on him.

Now Villa have lost stalwart Ezri Konsa for up to a month after he sustained a knee injury in the win over Sheffield United.

This has left Villa with an entirely second-choice defence, none of which are quite as capable as the players they have replaced.

Diego Carlos has been hit-and-miss this season and is often too much of a firebrand when Villa need composure.

Clement Lenglet was a perennial backup at Barcelona and Tottenham and did not play a single minute of Premier League football before December.

Even Alex Moreno, who was so effective last season, has faltered in the absence of Digne.

It is often a cliché in football that a team’s defence provides the foundation for success, but it really is true for Villa.

Every single attack from Villa starts with playing out from the back, with the aim of drawing the defenders out of position so they can pass into the space they leave behind.

This type of play requires a certain type of defender, but Lenglet and Carlos simply do not fit that mould.

They are not good enough on the ball, they panic too easily under pressure, and they give away too many soft fouls.

Losing this cornerstone of their system has been, unsurprisingly, a massive blow to Villa lately.

However, there are other factors at play.

Being found out?

It is also worth pointing out that teams do seem to have adapted to how Villa play and are setting their teams up to counter them.

Villa’s patient build-up play can only be successful if the opposition come out to press them, thus giving them the space to pass into.

Teams are increasingly sitting back and refusing to press Villa, leaving them with no option but to knock it around the back to try and bait them forward.

They do occasionally look short of a plan B and they definitely need to work on the training ground to ensure this does not happen again.

Midfielders in poor form

Villa’s midfield trio of Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz and John McGinn have been so reliable this season, but just lately they have begun to falter.

Kamara was seriously poor in both home defeats, Luiz has blown hot and cold, and even the ever-dependable McGinn was massively off the pace against Chelsea.

This has led to a lack of movement when playing out from the back, sloppy passing, and a lack of attacking spark outside of Leon Bailey.

They absolutely need to buck their ideas up and fast if they want to deliver on the promise of the first half of the season.