Spurs send Aston Villa to fourth-straight loss
Over the last six seasons, Aston Villa supporters have seen their side lose games in every possible way imaginable. But a 4-0 loss to Spurs on April 9 was perhaps the most baffling loss in recent memory.
Villa conceded early–Son Heung-min scored in the third minute–but went on to completely dominate the remainder of the half.
Yet the hosts trailed 1-0 at the half. Villa simply could not convert on their chances and they paid dearly for their lack of sharpness in front of goal.
Dejan Kulusevski scored five minutes into the second half and Son added two more tallies later in the period.
Villa, stunned, paid for the handful of defensive mistakes they made, but had they taken their chances in the first half the result could have been much more favorable.
Villa and Spurs: polar opposites on the day
A whopping 45% of the match was played in the Spurs third, 41% in the middle third, and just 14% in Villa’s own third. Yet, the result was 4-0 in favor of Spurs.
Expected goals? For Villa: 1.66 xG and 0.88 for Spurs. Shots attempted? Advantage, Villa, 19-11.
Conversion rate: Spurs 36%, Villa 0%.
Talk all you want about lacking a defensive midfielder, defensive lapses, lack of consistency, etc. Those are all valid criticisms of this Villa side.
But on how many occasions have Villa paid for not converting on chances?
The Premier League is unforgiving. Chances not taken will come back to bite you; the Spurs result was just the latest in a long-running series.
Villa forwards leave much to be desired
Danny Ings’ arrival last summer bolstered a Villa attack that already featured Ollie Watkins, who scored 14 goals in his first Premier League season in 2020-21.
Ings was one of the league’s most prolific goal scorers since he joined Southampton in 2018-19. In 2019-20 he bagged 22 goals in 38 league appearances.
This season, though, both forwards have struggled. It’s clear Watkins is more comfortable in a single-forward formation, and although Ings has excelled in 4-4-2 formations in the past, the former England international has five goals in 24 Premier League contests this year.
Dean Smith nor Steven Gerrard found the right balance for the center forwards, and as a result, goals are far from guaranteed on a weekly basis.
With the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Emi Buendia, Matty Cash, and Lucas Digne behind the duo, service should not be a problem. The match against Spurs shows the chances are there, but the duo of Watkins and Ings are not taking them.
Want your voice heard? Join the Claret Villans team!