ASTON VILLA (0.51) 2-4 (3.28) ARSENAL
Unai Emery is an architect, he’s a proven deliverer of the tactical masterclass for the underdog. Against Arsenal he had the idea of a game plan in his head; he prepared it on the training ground, yet it failed to materialise on matchday. This hurt him!
The main frustration was a failure, not just today but in the last three games, to control the game: time, the process, and confidenceβall reverting back to type. Emery stated he would rather lose the ball in a controlled build-up and learn, than lose by not playing ,and only trying to progress via long passes.
Emery admittedly said this is the hardest step; he’ll be demanding, and we’ll learn. Arsenal are obviously better. There is a reason they are top of the league; the Arteta project is in its third season; they are well drilled and organised. On another day, although Arsenal was the more dominant team, it could have been 4-2 Villa. We’d have found a way to win in classic Premier League style, but Emery would still have these post-match concerns, and the win would not have been as satisfying as it wouldn’t have been the Emery way!
MATCH STATS
Aston Villa twice took the lead through Watkins and then Coutinho, but as the points looked to be shared, Arsenal found the net twice in injury time.
Arsenal dominated possession, 67%, which they converted into a total of 20 shots, compared to Villa’s 7. Arsenal also created five big chances, although they missed four; Villa, in comparison, created zero.
Emery’s gripe, the passing, Villa 293 – Arsenal 571, Villa’s accurate passes recorded at 77% and the passes in question, the long ball – 19/51 – yep 19 out of 51 attempted were successful, 37% that’s bad man!
The momentum chart highlights Arsenal’s dominance throughout this game; we couldn’t stall it nor reverse it.
PASSING NETWORKS
We have to respect Arsenal. They’re two points clear at the top of the league with a game in hand. But, what I’m trying to understand and share is, “What does Emery want us doing better?”
Let’s start with Emery’s frustration. The controlled build-up.
The build-up starts with Emi Martinez, who is also used once the ball is active to play along the back line. Martinez has not had a good day, he took 50 touches and only successfully played 19 accurate passes – 46.3%, also playing 34 long balls to which only 12 were successful. Cash and Moreno’s percentages weren’t great reading either, at 71.4% and 64.3%, respectively.
The midfield did well with their accurate passes when they could get on the ball, but it was few and far between. Luiz had 93%, Kamara had 93.3%, and McGinn had 78.9% but that was only from a total of 58 passes, compared to Odegaard’s 91.2% from 52 passes! Once it left midfield, it couldn’t stick to continue the build; reverting to a counterattack mentality.
Coutinho’s goal did come from fantastic play down the left-hand side, but it was an area of the pitch we struggled to consistently build into, like against Manchester City, highlighting our unbalanced approach. In our wins against Spurs, Brighton, and Leeds, our build-up on the left side was key to our victories. A lot of Arsenal’s play (see below) came down their right and our left, and the network highlights Arsenal’s dominance in this area of the pitch.
When looking at the networks, the player positions are their average. Note how high Arsenal is, forcing us too deep. Their high press disrupted our build-up, forcing the errors, and ultimately sucking the confidence out of our players to be brave enough to execute Emery’s style.
Emery will continue to be demanding, he has smartly told the players (in his post match comments) if it breaks down on a controlled build-up heβll wear it. The pressure has been relived from the players but, they must learn and repeat the philosophy of the Emery way, regardless of any previous mistakes made, because, as Emery said; β¦do the same thing again, but do it better!
Thank you for reading: any likes, retweets, or shares on the social media post where you found this article would be highly appreciated.
UNDERSTANDING PASSING NETWORKS
AUTHOR | RYAN MCKEOWN
Authorβs UTV PODCAST archive Ryan Mckeown – UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
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HIT THE IMAGE – to be diverted.
4 Responses
Excellent article. Emery knows long term, doing the right things wrong is better than doing the wrong things well. Repetition and practice makes us better, but we must get better at playing to a team plan to control matches if we want team success, rather than getting better at surviving when the opposition have control.
Thank you for the kind feedback! Youβre spot on with your comments. Weβre in good hands with Emery!
Yes he is demanding more. Looks like some of the players can’t lift to sustain what he is asking for. But some are raising their bar so that is good to see
β¦and we know what will happen with those that donβt evolve into the new system. Thanks for taking the time to comment, appreciate it.
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