Aston Villa demonstrated how they can increasingly take care of lower half Premier League teams by controlling games, as they made it 12 wins in a row at home against a lacklustre Luton Town side. Goals from Moussa Diaby, John Mcginn, and an own goal from Tom Lockyer made the three points safe, before a clumsy mix up involving Ezri Konsa and Emi Martinez gave the visitors a consolation.
A decisive factor to Villa’s dominance was their 71% possession. Whether it was holding the ball in defensive areas, or keeping the ball throughout the channels, Villa looked extremely comfortable on the ball, admittedly they were allowed to hold the ball and wait for movements.
How Not to Play Villa
Luton chose to absorb most of Villa’s dominance, often having six defenders across the backline and three midfielders immediately in front of them to try to block the channels and passing lanes. This was emphasised by Villa having 77% possession at half-time.
Luton allowed Villa to play the ball around the defence, midfield areas and channels. Both of Villa’s defenders had over 100 touches, showing how comfortable the defence were allowed to be in possession. It allowed Villa to perfect their build-up play, and probe for openings in Luton’s rearguard. It also allowed Villa to dictate the tempo, and impose their style of the game.
Only in the second half did Villa get sloppy on the ball, allowing counter attacks, which happened mainly down the right, as Matty Cash pushed forward to create the overlap.
