BUILD UP
Aston Villa look to make it two wins from two as they make the long trip up North to face Michael Jackson and Ben Mee’s well-inspired Burnley side in round 36 of the Premier League campaign.
Steven Gerrard’s men tasted victory for the first time in six games last time out, as they saw off the newly relegated Norwich City at Villa Park. A goal each for strikers Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings in either half capped off a comfortable day for the Villans, who climbed to 13th with 40 points as a result.
Despite there being very little to play for this season, the boss will want his team to finish the season strong and collect as many points as possible from the five remaining games. Gerrard explained: “We want three points, we are off the back of two positive results after a difficult period.” in the latest press conference, revealing the team’s desire for consecutive victories.
This week’s opponents, Burnley, who looked dead and buried around a month ago after an extremely disappointing defeat against bottom-side Norwich, found themselves in 18th position and four points behind Everton who were ahead of them.
Sean Dyche was subsequently sacked after being at the club for a decade, with under 23 boss Mike Jackson and club captain Ben Mee left to steer the sinking ship. The decision to rid Dyche of his role was a surprising one and left the rest of the league stunned due to the successful job he had done keeping the club in the Premier League for many years.
Fast forward 3/4 weeks however, Burnley’s fortunes have certainly changed and the managerial alteration seeming like it was the correct call from the board. The Clarets are undefeated in the four games they have played since Dyche’s departure, drawing with West Ham United and defeating Southampton, Wolves and Watford along the way. The team from Turf Moor now find themselves out of the relegation zone, but have both Everton and Leeds United breathing down their neck.
This fixture would have been a game that many Villa fans would have looked at and expected both a comfortable game and more importantly an easy three points, but will now view the affair as a difficult one, matching the thoughts of the boss – “we expect a tough game and a tough challenge.”
Can Gerrard’s claret and blues take another three points from a relegation-battling side, or will Mike Jackson and Ben Mee’s stewardship prove fruitful once again and lead their side to a fourth successive victory, guiding Burnley even clearer to safety?
Let’s take a lot at the team news from each camp heading into Saturday afternoon’s huge game…
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TEAM NEWS
Heading into this one, Aston Villa will be without four members of the first-team squad, including key midfielder Jacob Ramsey. The young Englishmen has been a staple in the side this season, but after Friday’s press conference, Steven Gerrard revealed that: “Jacob Ramsey is a big doubt as we stand”.
This comes as quite the surprise to Villa fans, as Ramsey finished the Norwich City game unharmed, and was pictured in training photos throughout the week. His absence may be down to a shock last-minute injury or alternatively a personal matter that could keep him out of action. Regardless, we hope young JJ is okay, and look forward to seeing him back on the pitch in claret and blue, possibly for the next fixture at Villa Park against Liverpool on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, both Kortney Hause and Leon Bailey will miss the tie, with the former still in the process of recovering from an abdominal strain that has kept him out for over a month.
Bailey suffered an ankle injury during the first-half of the recent Norwich City win, and was replaced by Danny Ings having been forced off inside 39 minutes. The Jamaican has struggled with injuries during his first year in England, which has thus stunted his performances, with the winger unable to find consistent form and build his confidence to perform at the level we all know he is capable of.
The former Leverkusen winger’s season could be over after the No.31 posted a picture on Instagram during the week, with what appeared to be a meaningful caption that hints at his season’s end.
Midfieler Morgan Sanson may return to the matchday squad, after Gerrard revealed the Frenchman “has returned to training” this week. Villa’s No.8 will hope he is fit enough for action, with the vacancy in midfield (through Ramsey’s absence) presenting itself as a good opportunity for Sanson to find some valuable minutes.
Burnley have many injury concerns of their own, and face up to six absentees from Saturday’s game. Johann Gudmundsson has been missing from the Claret’s side since the beginning of February and has been granted time away from the club after picking up a recent calf injury that caps off a long list of injuries he has suffered this season. The Icelandic winger opened up on social media in March, revealing his frustration with the time spent on the sidelines and his inability to help his team.
Former Aston Villa player, Ashley Westwood, will be missing from the side for up to a year after breaking his ankle in a recent fixture against West Ham. The tireless No.8 suffered the injury after a freak challenge with Nikola Vlašić at the London Stadium, which left the Croatian in tears, and can no longer play a part in Burnley’s relegation battle this year. Westwood has recently undergone surgery on the damaged ankle, which thankfully went well, and has now started his recovery process.
Elsewhere, there are doubts concerning Maxwell Cornet, Erik Pieters and forward Jay Rodriguez ahead of the upcoming game. Cornet has had quite the first season at Turf Moor, and has instantly become a fan’s favourite at the club, scoring 7 goals and putting in superb performances each week in claret and blue. The Ivorian has recently missed action through a knee injury, and faces a late fitness call as to whether he will play or not.
The same applies for English No.9 Jay Rodriguez who missed the recent victory at Vicarage Road, after picking up a hamstring injury in the warm-up. Erik Pieters’ return looks more promising and certain however after coming back from a knee injury sustained in a challenge with Crystal Palace’s Nathaniel Clyne at the start of March.
Aside from this, the only absentee will be Ben Mee who will be unable to play a part on the pitch through injury, but can certainly affect the side off it, teaming up with caretaker manager Mike Jackson at the Burnley helm. The pair will have free reign over the squad, with key players Wout Weghorst, Josh Brownhill and Nick Pope all expected to start Saturday’s game.
Let’s now take a closer look at this weekend’s opposition as we approach match day…
THE OPPOSITION
Burnley look a completely different side under new management, and the Clarets’ have certainly benefited from the refreshment and change of staff. Sean Dyche had an incredible ten years at the club, helping his side into the league through promotion from the Championship, and keeping them afloat when they looked destined for relegation.
Dyche amazingly finished 7th in 2018, and qualified for the following season’s Europa League as a result. This was quite the achievement given the Burnley squad at the time, but signified just how capable Dyche was as a boss and the extent of the togetherness and morale he had with his players, staff and the fans. The Burnley faithful will always look back at their former boss’ time at the club fondly, and he will rightfully go down in Burnley folklore as one of the greats.
In the short time since the relieving of Dyche, caretaker manager and club captain Ben Mee have teamed together and have led the battling Burnley team to take 10 points from a possible 12. A victory against top-half Wolves and a well-earned point in their debut fixture at West Ham are the stand-out moments so far, and they now look favourites out of the remaining relegation candidates to stay up and avoid the drop – it has been quite the turnaround at Turf Moor!
The Clarets have built up quite the reputation over the seasons for playing a distinct type of football, that is typically labelled as ‘route one’ due to the directness and use of long balls in their attacking play and approach. This playing style has been apparent even under the new leadership, but there is more of a ruthlessness at either end of the field; more conviction in front of goal and more desire to keep the ball out at the other end.
Burnley deploy a bog-standard 4-4-2 that sees a very rigid back four, with a tireless midfield two, hard-working yet technical wingers on the flanks and two physical men at the top of the field. This club is notorious for this type of set-up, and below is one of the Claret’s line-ups from over the years, that visually displays their system.
Mike Jackson has earned himself a ‘manager of the month’ nomination for April in his first 30 days in the role, rewarding the interim boss for his incredible work in such a short space of time. His team deserve credit for the hard-work and character they have shown in trying times for the club too, and their ability to take to the change in management after being accustomed to Sean Dyche’s ways and mannerisms for such a long time.
Players such as Josh Brownhill and ‘keeper Nick Pope have really shone in the last few weeks, but the whole team has improved, stepped up and contributed to the reversal in form. Steven Gerrard is tasked with the difficult challenge of being the first manager to get the better of Jackson since his introduction, and will require each player to be at their best heading into this one.
To conclude, let’s see how I view the Burnley fixture, as I give my final thoughts…
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FINAL THOUGHTS
As mentioned at the start of this match preview, this would have been a fixture that I would have expected us to win relatively easily, especially given the clear quality gap between the two sides. However, confidence in football is a powerful thing, and Burnley, at the moment, carry it in abundance, meanwhile Aston Villa may be lacking it slightly.
With that being said, football is a funny old sport and each game is completely different. On paper, it is a game we should be winning and it is a game that I expect us to control and dominate. I hope the talents of Philippe Coutinho and his attacking counter-parts will be put to good use and will be decisive in Villa taking all three points back to B6.
This fixture is calling out for Emiliano Buendía to start, particularly in the absence of Leon Bailey who occupied the right-hand side of the attack (where Buendía typically plays) last time out and his cameo against Norwich, that surely warrants a start for the little Argentine.
During Gerrard’s press conference, he spoke about the trust he has in the youth players and the club’s desire to make use of the excellent young talent we have at our disposal, and so I can see Tim Iroegbunam keeping his place at the heart of the midfield, over both Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba. Could we also see a rare appearance from the possibly departing Carney Chukwuemeka too, who would fit in nicely in Jacob Ramsey’s place?
The defence looks set to stay the same, and the striker conundrum is simply something I give up commenting on or trying to predict – it is just too hard to pick; Watkins or Ings? Or both?!
Burnley are certainly a threat, and as Gerrard said “they have really good technical players and a strong mentality.”, which has been a big factor in their recent resurgence. Players such as Wout Weghorst offer a completely different avenue that our defence has not really had to deal with this season, and so it will be interesting to see how Mings/Chambers/Konsa react and cope to his presence, should he play.
Time for a score prediction now, and despite all my positive talk about Villa during this piece, I am going for a 2-2 draw. Burnley are a side we always seem to struggle against, highlighted through last year’s results: 3-2 away loss and 0-0 draw at Villa Park, and partnered with their fine form, I cannot see them losing at Turf Moor.
I believe Dwight Mcneil, previously linked with Villa of course, and Wout Weghorst will grab the two home goals, meanwhile Philippe Coutinho and Emi Buendía will snatch the two away goals for the Villa.
Let’s hope I am incorrect however, and the travelling Villa fans are treated to a terrific display at Turf Moor, that sees the Villans victorious! Up the Villa!
Liam
LIAM DAVIES | UTV PODCAST
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive liamayrtondavies – UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
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