While the focus in pre-season is largely on building fitness levels, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is also using it as an opportunity to test different systems and tactical solutions.
While the Spaniard has worked tirelessly since he arrived to implement and establish a way of playing through a preferred system and possession-based style, he will be fully aware of the need for flexibility to break teams down in different ways.
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Particularly with the inclusion of European football into our schedule this season, Villa will need Plan Bs, Cs and more to ensure we’re as prepared as possible to find solutions and advance deep into competitions, while also trying to improve on our seventh-placed finish in the Premier League last season.
Adding quality competition and depth in the squad was a key objective this summer, to not only ensure we’ve got sufficient cover with at least two top options in every position, but also to give Emery different looks and tactical solutions dependent on the opposition and what the situation requires.
Pau Torres arrived to strengthen our backline, and with Ashley Young moving on, it has created a situation in which we could either look to the market to replace our former stalwart, or find a fix from within the current group.
In our 2-0 win over Fulham in Orlando on Wednesday night, Emery trialed said fix, with Ezri Konsa shifted across to right-back, thus allowing Diego Carlos and Torres to start in the middle. Add Tyrone Mings to the equation, and we have healthy competition in those positions, with Lucas Digne or Alex Moreno starting at left-back.
“We are trying to practice different tactical ways and one is to play with Konsa as well as a right-back and to build up with three at the back,” Emery told the media, as per BirminghamLive. “He did well and the second half he played as a centre-back but we need to keep practicing different ways we can play next season.”
The graphic below illustrates our set-up when in possession in the lead up to our opening goal against Fulham, and this is what Emery wants when he talks about build-up with three at the back. As Digne pushes forward toward the halfway line with Jaden Philogene stretching the pitch on the opposite flank to create space inside, Konsa tucks inside next to Carlos and Torres to create a back-three.
The plan is similar in that we invite pressure from the opposition in our defensive third while having that free pass to a centre-half, and that creates space beyond the press for our midfield and attacking players to create openings.
On this occasion, the ball is eventually played to Tielemans, who then plays an excellent long pass down the left side to Digne in space in an advanced position, and he ultimately finds Philogene in the box who breaks the deadlock.
We saw that time and time again in the first half with Konsa deployed at right-back, and while Cash has carried out a similar role when involved, particularly when we’ve got Moreno flying down the left flank, there is a strengthened defensive feel to it with the former in the XI.
Further, it also often creates a spare man in defence to receive the ball, and for the likes of Torres and Carlos who are excellent in possession with their technical ability, but also Mings who has improved that part of his game significantly under Emery, we’ll continue to see a measured and patient approach before a quick step up in tempo when the ball crosses the halfway line.
Out of possession, it becomes a back four again as seen in the graphic above in the lead up to a Fulham chance in the first half.
While it has caused us problems at times, Villa have often played the high defensive line really well, catching the opposition out offside on countless occasions, and Konsa’s discipline and understanding of that approach allows us to keep our shape really well.
The midfield produce a second bank of four in front of them as we can either sit back and invite pressure to counter, or press in midfield and win possession back higher up the pitch as we’ve seen Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn do in particular many times to spark a goalscoring opportunity.
With Villa hoping to play in excess of 60 games this season if we enjoy deep runs in the cup competitions and Europe, we’ll need to rotate and find different tactical solutions. Cash will undoubtedly have a big role to play and we may well bring another new face in to compete with him, but the option of using Konsa there will be vital too and he’s shown he can adapt if necessary.
