Aston Villa’s inability to keep a Premier League clean sheet continues as worrying statistic emerges surrounding Emi Martinez.
After a busy summer, Villa have got off to a flying start to their 2024/25 campaign.
So far in all competitions, Unai Emery’s side have won six of their seven games, including victories in the Champions League and Carabao Cup.
The form of the Claret and Blue side has also put them third in the Premier League table, just one point of first-place Man City.
However, one issue continues to grow, with statistics suggesting that one of Villa’s star players is heavily underperforming so far this season.
Emi Martinez is letting in more goals than expected in the Premier League
While Aston Villa have no doubt had a great start to their new campaign, their defensive woes from the backend of the 2023/24 season have continued.
So far, Emery’s side’s only clean sheet came in the 3-0 victory over Young Boys in the Champions League. Villa’s last Premier League clean sheet came in their 2-0 victory over Arsenal in April.
This has been a growing concern from the Villa Park faithful as their fragile defence continues to give away sloppy goals. However, it is not only the defence that has underperformed in recent months.
According to TheOther14, Martinez has heavily underperformed in the Premier League so far.
Examining his post-shot expected goals (PSxG), he has been expected to concede 4.9 goals but has actually let in seven.
This means that in just five games, he has underperformed by 2.1, with only Jordan Pickford producing a worse performance in this department.
Unai Emery must get Aston Villa’s defence in order
While there is no question that Villa have had an outstanding start to their campaign so far, Emery must sort out his side’s defensive woes.
It will be challenging for the club to progress in cup competitions or up the Premier League table if they cannot keep a clean sheet.
Luckily, so far this season, Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins have both bailed the club out when it looked like a defeat was heading their way. However, form does not last forever.
Whether a new centre-back is needed or a change-up in the defence, Emery must fix it soon or he runs the risk of losing more points.
