The favored XI of Alex McLeish has featured three strikers, in Darren Bent, Gabriel Agbonlahor, and Emile Heskey, but this has somehow managed to not create an attack minded team. While Villa are unbeaten in their first four matches, they have only scored in two of them, and have only created an abundance of chances against a woeful Blackburn side.
While chatting with Matt on Twitter before the Everton game, I told Matt the only way I could see Villa scoring was if either Barry Bannan or Marc Albrighton were in the team, and surely enough the crucial equalizer was indeed set up by Albrighton.
Although he has been gone for over a year now, this still has the look and feel of a Martin O’Neill team. The team could only create chances by counter-attacking and/or getting the ball quickly to the wingers. Alex McLeish’s 4-2-3-1, with Agbonlahor and Charles N’Zogbia playing as inverted wingers, cutting in to attack the opposing goal does make some sense. Agbonlahor is a natural striker and not a winger who is going to hug the touchline, do some fancy tricks with the ball, and lob in crosses. N’Zogbia is more of a natural winger, but his goal scoring prowess makes encouraging him to cut in is also a solid idea. The problem arises when a team who has relied on wingers to provide creativity, is no longer getting creativity from it’s wingers it has to come from somewhere else.
The two central midfielders (Fabian Delph and Stiliyan Petrov) have been used to shield the back four. Neither of them, especially Petrov would be categorized as a “playmaker.” Emile Heskey who has been deployed behind Darren Bent has his uses and can help this team, but he is ill-suited to the role he is being asked to perform. Firstly, given his age and injury history, expecting him to start every match and go 90 minutes is a big ask. Additionally his strengths, his work-rate, and ability to hold the ball have not been unlocking defenses. Heskey’s role should be as an impact sub on the bench. If the club needs to play more direct and go with a 4-4-2 formation with a target man by all means bring Ivanhoe on. If Bent is unavailable or being rested then a partnership of him with Agbonlahor is also a solid plan.
Given the personnel available, the only way this team can consistently create chances is with Albrighton on one of the wings, and/or Barry Bannan playing centrally in a playmaking role. If Steven Ireland or Jermaine Jenas can break into the first XI and find some form, they could also fill this creativity void. These players do have defensive issues to be sure, but Villa do not have the luxury of fielding a team of 10 outfield players without notable weaknesses. If the club wants to break down opponents, we will all have to hold our noses as Bannan gets muscled off the ball and flails at aerial challenges. Marc will commit silly fouls and we will have to hope that with experience he will cut down on them.
There will be times at the end of matches when nursing a lead, or facing one of the bigger sides where the club might have to take a more pragmatic approach. In cases like that, then it would be smart to play a more experienced XI, like Villa have been, at the expense of creativity. The team has had a decent start, but like many of you I do feel the team could have done better. Wolves at home and even Fulham away were both winnable games where the team could not create enough chances, not just for Darren Bent, but just chances in general. Hopefully this weekend at home against a team in Newcastle who does not possess a goal threat and took a battering against QPR, McLeish will utilise the creativity at his disposal and give the Villa faithful something to cheer about.
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