There is an air of optimism around Villa Park heading into the new season after a seventh-place finish resulted in European Football returning to the city of Birmingham. Unai Emery has done an excellent job since his appointment in November 2022. A couple of high-profile signings have followed, and Last Word on Sports takes a look at the current options to put together an Aston Villa-predicted lineup ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Aston Villa Predicted Lineup: Emery Targeting Further Progression
Club Backed by Ambitious Owners
Aston Villa have been no stranger to big money deals since the current ownership took full control in 2019. The NWSE group has splashed out in that time with mixed results. Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, and Emiliano Buendia have recently improved the side, but signings like Bertrand Traore and Morgan Sanson have shown that not all of the cash spent has been worthwhile.
The spending has continued this summer, with Moussa Diaby joining from Bayer Leverkusen and Pau Torres joining from Villareal. Youri Tielemans has joined on a free transfer. All three are exciting signings and should improve the squad. If there is money left in the transfer kitty, an intriguing story has broken recently around interest in Barcelona’s Ferran Torres. It may seem unlikely at this point, but it displays the level of ambition from Villa’s hierarchy as they look to build on a first season with European Football since 2010/11.
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Can Emery Find a Settled Formation?
It never hurts to be tactically flexible when managing in the Premier League. The Villa manager switched from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 last season and has done the same in pre-season. Looking ahead there may be a case for settling on one of the two formations. There will be less turnaround between games, meaning fewer training sessions so the players must be comfortable with their matchday instructions.
There is still a place for 4-4-2 in top-level football occasionally, but 4-2-3-1 will likely be the preference. Watkins is the only striker proven at this level so this opinion carries some substance. The signing of Diaby adds to an array of talent comfortable playing in the three roles behind the main man as the aforementioned Buendia and Traore are joined by Leon Bailey, Philippe Coutinho and Jacob Ramsey who is comfortable playing forward as a ten if required.
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Emery has the players at his disposal to make a solid back three and has tried this out once in pre-season. However, three at the back tactically requires more striking options than what is currently at the club’s disposal. It would involve sacrificing a midfielder further up the pitch and, as we see later, this is one of the strongest areas of the squad.
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Tough Choice at the Heart of the Backline
Martinez is number one choice and he has been one of the best keepers not just in the Premier League, but anywhere in the world. Fans will be praying none of the top European clubs come calling. The likes of Chelsea and Bayern Munich may be looking for new keepers and could do far worse than Emery’s first choice.
The return of Diego Carlos from a long-term injury may spell the end of Tyrone Mings’ spell as the first-choice centre-back at the club. New signing Torres, who is left-footed like Mings, is a guaranteed starter. The Brazilian is right-footed so is a more natural fit to play with Torres, which has been the approach during pre-season. Having the England defender and Ezri Konsa as backup options displays depth that few of the top sides can boast.
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Konsa can play right back, as can Callum Chambers, but Matty Cash is the best in this position of the current squad options. Alex Moreno impressed after joining in January and should be the left-back. The Spaniard returned three assists in his first half-season at the club, after Lucas Digne has failed to live up to expectations since joining from Everton.
Many Possible Combinations
Any combination of Villa’s current midfield options is impressive. All of them have their qualities but after impressive campaigns, it is difficult to leave out Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, and Ramsey. Luiz’s goal threat from set pieces, Ramsey’s energy, and goal threat with the industrial play and leadership from McGinn is hard to top despite Tieleman’s arrival. Moussa Diaby is likely the only guaranteed first choice ahead of the new season out wide, with a battle to fill the remaining position.
Aston Villa Predicted Lineup 4-2-3-1
Martinez; Cash, Carlos, Torres, Moreno; Luiz, McGinn; Bailey, Ramsey, Diaby; Watkins
Main image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user Miniluver04. User released the image into the public domain with no licensing requirements.
