It has been a mixed start to the season for Aston Villa as they sit 10th in the table. They have gone into the first international break of the season off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
Unai Emery and his side have picked up two wins and as many defeats, scored eight goals and conceded nine. After being thrashed 5-1 by Newcastle United in the season opener, Aston Villa bounced back with emphatic wins over Everton and Burnley. However, they were soon brought back to earth by Liverpool last weekend.
The international break offers Emery and his coaching staff time to reflect on Villa’s positives and work on their shortcomings. With that being said, here are three things we have learned from the first chunk of the 2023/24 season.
- Pau Torres needs time to adapt to Premier League
Pau Torres’ technical skills, leadership and experience at the highest level made him a coveted defender in the recently concluded summer transfer window. In addition, his previous working relationship with Unai Emery led to Villa going all out to sign him from Villarreal.
However, the defender has had a difficult start to life in England. The highly-rated Spaniard has won 57% of his duels across four outings, suggesting he has struggled to adapt to the rigours of Premier League football.
Torres has looked sloppy in possession and erratic in his decision-making at times in four appearances, particularly against Liverpool where he was found out of position a number of times. His lack of recovery pace and aerial ability was exploited by Liverpool’s quick and physical forwards at length.
With Tyrone Mings facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Torres could benefit from more regular minutes. Despite his rough start to life in England, Torres has the mental resilience and ability to bounce back. The reality is, though, it could well take some time for him to fully adapt to the Premier League.
- Moussa Diaby looks a steal and a half at £51.9m
In contrast to Torres, Moussa Diaby has hit the ground running at Villa. He has registered two goals and an assist in four Premier League appearances, showing signs of being one of the bargain signings of the summer transfer window.
The Frenchman possesses explosive pace to burn, is relentless off the ball, grafter and has the vision to unlock tight defences. It is impossible to ignore how the 24-year-old’s scintillating pace and clever movement has simply terrified defenders so far this season.
Villa’s attack looks a different proposition with Diaby in there. He has been the Villans’ only real bright spark in attack during the harrowing defeats to Newcastle and Liverpool.
- Aston Villa’s defensive woes
Unai Emery and his coaching staff should be worried about Villa’s defence following an underwhelming start to the new 2023-24 season. The Birmingham-based outfit have conceded eight goals across heavy defeats to Newcastle and Liverpool, and while they were tough opponents, Emery is still likely to be disappointed with the manner in which his team conceded goals.
One worrying trend of Villa’s play this season has been their risky high line deployed by Emery, which has resulted in their defenders struggling to cope with pacey forwards and conceding the joint-second most goals in the English top-flight alongside Luton Town. They have been cut through several times by their opposition, and heavy losses against Newcastle and Liverpool will undoubtedly concern Emery.
