Aston Villa had the Premier League’s most effective offside trap last season but now their high line is being exposed
- Aston Villa drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday
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Unai Emery was responsible last season for the Premier League’s most effective offside trap, with his Aston Villa side provoking a league-high 167 offsides.
Yet this term Villa’s high line is being exposed, with teams finding it far too easy to create chances by getting in behind.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner said Villa’s system suited his players perfectly.
This season, Villa are ranked fourth when it comes to catching opponents offside, doing it 26 times across 12 games — half the rate of last season.
They have kept one clean sheet in their last 17 league games, conceding 31 goals in that period — only Wolves and West Ham have let in more.
Winless in six, Emery agreed this might be the toughest spell he has endured at Villa.
Aston Villa’s high line is being exposed, with teams finding it far too easy to create chances
Saturday’s draw with Palace means Villa have failed to win any of their last four league games
But games this week against Juventus and Chelsea offer the chance to ‘kick on again’, according to midfielder Ross Barkley.
‘There’s frustration in the dressing room,’ he said. ‘We want to be winning after the difficult spell we’ve been through but we have plenty of big characters. Maybe this is just a little dip.’
