Aston Villa suffered a shock 4-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday afternoon, taking their top four hopes slightly out of their hands, here are three things that Unai Emery got wrong during the fixture.
Aston Villa were shocked by Tottenham at Villa Park on Sunday as Unai Emery watched his side lose 4-0 in a pivotal fixture in the race for the top four.
The build-up towards the game set the scene of what was one of Villa’s “most important” fixtures in recent years, as dubbed by captain John McGinn, whose day ironically couldn’t have gone much worse.
McGinn was sent off in the 65th minute when the hosts were 2-0 down, encouraging the floodgates to open as Spurs netted a further two to hand Villa a hammer blow to their goal difference and top-four hopes.
While Emery’s side still sit fourth, the North Londoners have control due to them having a game in hand on the Midlands club, handing the Villans’ hopes of finishing fourth a blow.
It was a day to forget for Villa in front of their home fans, with a lot for the manager to answer for over some of his decisions, here are three things that Emery got wrong during the defeat to Spurs.
Changing the formation didn’t make sense on this occasion
Villa have found themselves around the European places this season due to the success that the manager has got out of lining his side up in a trusted 4-4-2 formation.
It was confusing to see the Spaniard’s decision to switch to three at the back on an occasion as significant as Sunday afternoon’s, seeing Lucas Digne and Matty Cash push up field to support the attack.
The switch in play seemed to confuse the players based on what was seen on the pitch, with passes continually misplaced and key players left isolated due to the disruption from their usual setting.
Team selection was questionable
Leading on from the decision to switch the formation comes the selection, with Youri Tielemans sent back to midfield and Leon Bailey taken away from the wing with Cash the nominated wide player.
In the instance of fielding his players in such formation, it could be argued that Moussa Diaby might have been a better pick considering the impact he can have when playing alongside Ollie Watkins.
Reshuffling the formation didn’t work for the players that are frequently selected, with the wide areas significantly restricted due to the switch and selection.
Leon Bailey’s impact was limited
One player that was particularly impacted was Bailey, who has been in searing form for Villa this season.
Taking the Jamaican out of his usual right-wing role saw his game suffer a fast downfall, with there being no threat from the wide channels and a significant disruption to the 26-year-old’s approach to the game.
Usually, the winger is instrumental on the flank to how threatening Villa can be on the counter and going forward, with Emery sacrificing such success by changing up the formation and opting to play the forward centrally.
