Villa sitting pretty in tables but 'concerns are apparent'
- Published
Life is good at Aston Villa when it comes to league tables. They are in the top four in the Premier League and sitting right at the top of the Champions League pile.
But when you scratch at the surface of Villa's current position, concerns are apparent.
As both the league tables sit now, Villa have only played two teams in the top half of both - Arsenal and Fulham in the Premier League. Villa's best win this season is certainly against Bayern Munich, but even they are currently only 23rd in the Champions League table.
Of course, as mentioned in last week's column, tougher tests come in November and you would expect Villa to up their level, having in the main played within themselves this season.
One clear concern, underscored by Bournemouth’s late equaliser on Saturday, is Villa's vulnerability on the right-hand side.
When Ian Maatsen joined in the summer transfer window, many Villa fans wished he was right-footed. Named last season's best left-back in the Champions League, Maatsen has since played second fiddle to the in-form Lucas Digne.
The fan demand for a right-back upgrade on social media during the summer prompted the club to push forward the club's director of football, Monchi, to do interviews to explain the PSR situation and why Villa could not necessarily upgrade the position.
It was almost an admission by the club that the right-back situation was less than ideal.
Matty Cash has shown recklessness too often, with Leon Bailey not offering him much defensive support. Emery appears unconvinced, frequently opting to play Ezri Konsa as a makeshift right-back with Diego Carlos filling in at centre-back.
The speedy 18-year-old Kosta Nedeljkovic is not seen as ready yet, despite solid performances for Serbia. Meanwhile, Emery has abandoned his experiment with Lamare Bogarde in the role.
Whether Emery can resolve the issue before January remains one of the intriguing subplots to the team's potential this season.
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