Unai Emery: Villa boss enduring toughest spell ahead of daunting Chelsea clash

Three points behind the top four and only one defeat in the Champions League.

At first glance, no alarm bells should ring at Villapark.

However, these are the high standards Unai Emery has set for the club since succeeding Steven Gerrard in 2022 and beginning the club's meteoric rise from relegation candidates to competing with Europe's elite.

The Villa boss has now gone seven games without a win in all competitions, the longest run of his tenure in the Second City, and will now be tasked with tackling the rut at Chelsea, live on Sky Sports this Sunday .

Here we look at Villa's current situation and the possible factors contributing to their recent struggles.

Injury problems

“We don't want to make excuses and talk about it because injuries happen. We always have to be competitive.”

Strong words from Emery, who has pushed for a 'no excuses' culture since returning to England. Although injuries have played a role in this current dip in form.

Long-term absentees Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia and Boubacar Kamara all returned, but apart from the last name on the list, they looked somewhat out of date when given the opportunities. That was to be expected considering the time they spent on the sidelines.

Marquee summer signing Amadou Onana is another notable absentee after missing games against Crystal Palace, Manchester United and now Juventus.

Villa has not yet won a match without the Belgian international in the starting line-up.

Homegrown talent Jacob Ramsey missed large parts of last season and cut a frustrated figure after being forced off in the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Without his ball-carrying skills and the threat he poses in the penalty area, Villa are still missing a vital part of their attack.

These are not long-term setbacks, but individual setbacks that have compounded and resulted in Emery being forced to make frequent changes to his starting XI, disrupting the flow of his team.

Crooked left

Another injury that has hampered the team's cohesion in more ways than one is that of Matty Cash.

In his absence, Villa have moved Konsa to the right-back role or tried other players such as Lamare Bogarde and Kosta Nedeljkovic in the role.

Cash's injury problems have seen him miss nine games and when you take this into account, as well as Leon Bailey's decline in form and the sale of Moussa Diaby to the Saudi Pro League, you can see why the right wing's production has plummeted. .

39 percent of Villa's attacks come from the opposite flank and they have seen a four percent drop in their use of the right compared to last season.

Using seven different combinations of players on this side during the win-less run hasn't helped either.

What was once a strength for Villa, given Bailey's 12 goals and 13 assists in all competitions last season, has now become a clear weak link.

Defensive problems

Only five teams have conceded more goals than Villa in the Premier League, and four of those sides are below fifteenth in the table.

It's a level of defensive uncertainty not often associated with Villa since Emery was appointed to the role.

The late equalizer against Bournemouth, collapsing against Tottenham and vulnerable to Crystal Palace counter-attacks every time they went forward. Teams are aware of the way Villa defend and have become more accustomed to working around it.

So much so that Emi Martinez, winner of back-to-back Yashin Trophies, now has the fourth-lowest save percentage in the league at 61 percent.

This is not a question of his ability – as his CV speaks for itself – but instead highlights the fragility of this Villa defence.

Although they are not showing the same problems in Europe after conceding just one goal in their first five games. Which only adds to the headache for Emery and his staff.

Form, confidence and momentum also play a big role in football – as Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side have also discovered – and Villa appear to be missing all of these at the moment.