Aston Villa’s performers so far | A look at the stats
Aug 31, 2013
Nick Meredith
When the Premier League schedule was first announced, Aston Villa
fans could have been forgiven for feeling dispirited at their first few
games. Instead of getting some middle of the road performers, or even
one of the promoted teams, Villa faced the daunting prospect of Arsenal,
Chelsea and Liverpool all in the space of two weeks. Nevertheless, Paul
Lambert and his
revamped squad geared up and set out to prove themselves after a disappointing last season out.
An unprepared and perhaps overconfident Arsenal side was swept aside
as Villa beat them 1-3 at the Emirates, before Villa went down fighting
in a 2-1 loss at Chelsea. Three days later, a tired Aston Villa side
went down 0-1 to a Liverpool side enjoying their best start to a season
in half a decade, but Paul Lambert’s point had been made. His side,
while still young and learning, were a threat to any team and could
compete with anyone. In this article, we will look at some of the stars
for Aston Villa in their first three matches.
Fabian Delph
First
and foremost, and slightly surprisingly, is ex-Leeds midfielder Fabian
Delph. The young Bradford native secured a move to Villa in 2009 at the
tender age of 20, having starred in a Leeds team pushing for promotion
to the Championship. Unfortunately, after a year of growing into the
team, in the April of 2010 he suffered a cruciate ligament that kept him
out of action for over nine months. His performance in the first half
of an abysmal 2011-12 season was poor, and soon after he was loaned out
to previous club Leeds, where he suffered another injury that put him
out until the next season.
In the 2012-13 season, under a new manager in Paul Lambert and with a
midfield partner is Ashley Westwood that complemented him excellently,
Delph began to improve. The mistimed tackles that blighted the first
half of his Villa career had gone, replaced instead by technically sound
challenges. His positional play also improved, cultivating a two-man
midfield with Westwood. His biggest strength, his dynamism, allowed him
to contribute in both defence and attack, and he ended the season as one
of Villa’s best performers.
This season, Delph started with a bang as he marshalled Aston Villa’s
stifling three man midfield with an experience that belied his years.
This performance was followed up by superb performances against Chelsea
and Liverpool. Delph has already attempted 12 tackles this season,
winning 8 of them, as well winning 33 of his 56 attempted ground duels.
These figures are the highest in the team, highlighting Delph’s
defensive improvement. As mentioned earlier, his positional discipline
has also improved since his earlier career, leading the team with 11
interceptions.
It isn’t only defensively that Delph has improved. Thanks to a
team-high 203 touches on the ball, he has also had plenty to time to
create as well as defend. 105 successful passes from 131 attempted is,
again, the most in the team, whilst he has also attempted over twice as
many dribbles (14) as his nearest competitor, Gabriel Agbonlahor (6). A
final encouraging stat illustrates his attacking threat as well as his
defence, with his 63 passes in the opposition half once again being the
highest in the team. Last season, Ashley Westwood anchored the Villa
midfield, but this season Delph is proving he’s equally valuable to the
cause.
Gabriel Agbonlahor
Despite
being only 26, Gabby Agbonlahor already has a storied past and a place
in Villa’s history as their highest ever league goalscorer. When he
first burst onto the scene in 2005, the jet-heeled local boy terrified
defences up and down the country, and his steady progress reached a peak
in 2009-10 under Martin O’Neill. However, O’Neill’s lack of squad
rotation hindered Agbonlahor’s progress, and with O’Neill often
deploying him as a target striker, his main advantage of pace wasn’t
being exploited. Instead, Agbonlahor bulked up to the point where he
began to lose his pace, and over the next two seasons he suffered. Chief
amongst his troubles was his consistency; he would look like a
world-beater for three or four games, before having an inexplicable loss
of form and looking short of pace and touch for much of the rest of the
season.
Agbonlahor was another player who profited from Paul Lambert’s
arrival. Redeployed from striker onto the wing, he worked on balancing
his speed and strength before finally managing to get into the condition
that allowed him to retain his blistering pace and blend it with a
bulky frame. He was Villa’s second highest scorer after Christian
Benteke in the 2012-13 season, and showed a gradual improvement in
consistency. This season, Agbonlahor has made a stunning start to the
season, combining with both of his front three partners as Villa’s
attack established itself as a force to be reckoned with early on.
Despite having no goals so far, Agbonlahor’s job as a complement to
Christian Benteke’s battering-ram style has increased the Belgian’s
effectiveness hugely. In the first game he terrorised the Arsenal’s
defence, winning two penalties and being described by his manager as
“unplayable” and “frightening”. In the next game, his pace allowed him
to burn off Branislav Ivanovic, before a low cross found Benteke, who
finished expertly. Agbonlahor’s end product has always been a problem,
so this was a welcome sign of his improvement.
With rookie full-back Antonio Luna behind him, Agbonlahor has also
had to be aware of his defensive duties. Agbonlahor has won possession
in midfield 9 times this season, only 6 shy of Fabian Delph, and has
also attempted 5 tackles. One of his strengths has always been winning
fouls, either by strength or pace, and his 7 fouls won are again only
beaten by Delph. If Agbonlahor can maintain this form throughout the
season, he will be an invaluable asset to Aston Villa and perhaps to
England too.
Christian Benteke
Enough
has been said about Christian Benteke over the past year that the huge
Belgian needs no introduction, but even without one the stats speak for
themselves. 23 goals, 49% of Aston Villa’s goals scored or created, and
one very bruised Chris Smalling. It was vital that Villa held on to
their star striker, and Paul Lambert pulled off one of the coups of the
summer by ensuring Benteke not only withdrew his transfer request, but
also signed a new contract.
Benteke has already scored three goals in as many appearances, with
two penalties against Arsenal followed up by a smart finish against
Chelsea. His 3 goals came from 6 shots on target, and like last year his
attacking contribution hasn’t just been restricted to his shooting. His
8 chances created is the highest in the team, and his 31 aerial duels
won from 54 highlight the all-round offensive threat he offers. 110
passes attempted ties him at third-highest in the team, another
indicator of how he represents the focal point of the entire Villa
attack.
It is around these three players – and other early impressers like
Ron Vlaar, Andreas Weimann and Antonio Luna – that Villa will look to
mount their challenge for the top 10. Whether or not that happens
remains to be seen, but Aston Villa fans will go into this year much
more confidently than last.
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