It has not been easy for Aston Villa to this point in the season. Already out of the Carabao Cup and in a relegation spot in the Premier League, some are already counting off the current campaign.
Considering it is not even the end of September, though, it would be entirely too premature to call it quits. Unai Emery's side is still going to line up, and there are countless matches yet to be played out.
One avenue that Villa need to explore more often throughout the 90 minutes is to press the opposition, particularly when the ball is played back to the keeper.
This was, after all, the way in which Villa scored against Brentford during their Carabao Cup exit. John McGinn did well to win the ball back deep and find Harvey Elliott, who then slotted one past Hákon Rafn Valdimarsson.
Even during the preseason, many of the goal-scoring opportunities came from winning the ball back in the final after forcing a bad touch or poor pass from the opposition.
To this point, this appears to be the main way in which Villa can generate a clear-cut chance on net.
Potential negative outweighs needed positives for Aston Villa
Pressing does come with its risk, of course. One long ball could make it so that a slip or mistimed jump from a defender could leave the other team in a one-v-one situation with the Villa keeper.
The benefit outweighs this risk, however. When also considering how the side has not been able to consistently threaten the other side's goal, it is clear that Villa have to find some way to generate opportunities. This could very well be the way in which those can come. As is, teams will often press when they feel there is an opportune moment. Villa need to have this become more of an emphasis, particularly during the current drought.