Aston Villa showed their powers of recovery once more after returning a 1-0 deficit on Saturday to beat Wolves 3-1 in the Premier League.
Aston Villa have made an excellent start to the season, winning five of their six matches in all competitions, with the only blip on Unai Emery’s record being a 2-0 loss to former club Arsenal.
On Saturday, the Villans came from behind against Wolves to secure a 3-1 victory as Matheus Cunha’s first-half strike was cancelled out by goals from Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Jhon Duran.
It was the second weekend running that Emery’s men were forced to produce an inspired comeback after coming from 2-0 down against Everton to win 3-2, and that will perhaps be a huge concern.
John Townley thinks Unai Emery should be ‘worried’ about Aston Villa’s defence
Emery’s high line and completely attacking style will always leave gaps in his defence for the opposition to exploit, and that is something Everton and Wolves have taken advantage of in recent weeks.
The Villans can dominate large spells of possession but will always be prone to the counterpunch, they’re just perhaps fortunate multiple quality players can pull them out of the mud.
Journalist John Townley thinks Villa look ‘vulnerable’ at the back and if Wolves offered more attacking threat, they could have conceded at least two goals in a game for the third time this season.
Speaking on the Claret & Blue podcast, Townley explains why Emery will be ‘worried’ about Aston Villa at the moment. He said: “The Young Boys game, yes, we kept a clean sheet, but yeah, I don’t think there’s a whole lot to take out of that. But in the Premier League, we are conceding goals.
“We’re not conceding two goals every game, but we’re conceding two goals a lot. Obviously, against Wolves, we only conceded once.
“But, yeah, it felt like a Wolves have had, if they had more attacking threat or if they tried to get that second goal more than what they did, basically, I think we could have conceded twice again.
“We just look vulnerable. And to be honest, by the way, I think Carlos actually played okay, actually, after his mistake. I thought we played quite well.
“But I am worried about our defence at the moment.”
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Boubacar Kamara’s return can help Aston Villa
Last season, Villa conceded a whopping 63 goals in the Premier League but still managed to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League.
Much of their downfall defensively was down to the injury to Boubacar Kamara in the loss to Manchester United in February.
The Frenchman acted as a defensive screen in front of the Villa back four and alongside Douglas Luiz, was a crucial component in breaking up play between the lines and offering a solid base.
Although Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana have been brilliant as a midfield pairing, neither are as good as Kamara when it comes to protecting the defence.
The 24-year-old’s return to action can’t come quick enough for Emery, with Kamara expected to make his return to the Villa squad at some point in October.
