Premier League news: Three reasons why Unai Emery’s Aston Villa have started the season so poorly
Aston Villa lost 1-0 at Brentford on Saturday to continue what has been a poor start to the Premier League campaign for Unai Emery’s side.
Having played out a 0-0 draw with Newcastle United in their opening fixture, the Midlands club now find themselves sitting in a disappointing 17th place on the table.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Harrison Pearce reveals the reasons behind the Villans’ terrible form.
Defensive mistakes persist
Villa conceded the only goal of the game at the Gtech Community Stadium through a misplaced Pau Torres pass back to the goalkeeper.
This allowed Dango Ouattara to score a debut goal for Brentford after signing for £42 million.
Ezri Konsa’s suspension had meant that a centre-back partnership of Torres and Tyrone Mings was on show once again, despite the pair having routinely failed to impress.
And with both of them being left-footed, they predictably did not look at all comfortable together, especially compared to the stability Konsa offers when present.
There is thus an argument to be made that Villa should sign a fourth-choice centre-back to add quality to the squad’s depth.
In that, there are reports that the club have been linked to Toulouse’s Jaydee Canvot, although Crystal Palace have also recently entered the race to sign the 19-year-old.
The Eagles, it must be said, might want to get their own back after Villa beat the London side to Evann Guessand’s signature.
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Not taking chances
The visitors had a total of 17 shots against Brentford, with only two on target, meaning that Emery’s team struggled to break down the Bees’ defence.
Sadly, Villa’s two clear-cut chances – through Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendía – were not taken well enough to find an equaliser for the team in claret and blue.
Another negative for Villa would have been the early substitution of Boubacar Kamara, who suffered a hamstring injury that could set him back for at least two or three weeks.
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PSR restrictions continue
In a season where Villa were looking to take advantage of what they have built under Emery, it looks more than likely that they have a difficult campaign ahead of them.
After having to sell more players to help balance the books, including boyhood fan Jacob Ramsey and the in-demand Leon Bailey, Villa’s thin squad has got even weaker, and it is widely accepted that they desperately need reinforcements.
However, with only one week left of the transfer window, it is unclear if the Midlands club can bring anybody in without falling foul of PSR regulations.
Hopefully, Emery and president of football operations Monchi can bring in some loan deals, much like they did last season, to refresh the squad and establish a new sense of competition.
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