Is Villa’s resurgence sustainable?
Aston Villa failed to win any of their opening five league fixtures but have five victories in their subsequent six games, including a 4-0 triumph against Bournemouth last time out.
Manager Unai Emery hailed that performance as “really fantastic”, praising his side’s commitment, energy and connection with the home supporters.
A key feature of Villa’s improvement has been goals from distance. Three of the goals against the Cherries came from outside the penalty area, taking their overall total to seven, the highest total in the Premier League.
The Villans also boast the league’s highest shot conversion rate from outside the box (15.6%), a stark contrast to their figure of 8.1% for efforts inside the area, which is the lowest in the top flight.
While Villa’s long-range purple patch has fuelled their revival, if it is to be sustainable they will need to create higher-quality chances closer to goal. Emery’s side have managed 20 shots on target from inside the box this term, fewer than any other side.
That includes only four from Ollie Watkins, who scored 16 league goals last season but has netted just once so far.