3. Villa’s gamble leads to their downfall
Amidst all the surprises in the fourth round of the FA Cup, the biggest one was perhaps Aston Villa beating high-flying Bournemouth, scoring two goals in the process. Although they have scored thrice in the FA Cup, another blank in the league against Arsenal means that it is now six games since Villa scored in the league. And on a day when their usually solid defense also crumbled, these are the days when it feels as though this might be the year that Villa go down.
Against Arsenal, Paul Lambert decided to play a high pressing game to sniff out any danger posed by the home side. One of the problems with playing that way is that it leaves far too much space behind the defense, if done properly. And any change of possession or fast counter attacks would leave them vulnerable. Arsenal capitalised on the space behind the defense time and again as Walcott was given the perfect opportunity to return to goal scoring form. Another problem with high pressing is the spaces it leaves between the defense and midfield if the whole team don’t press together. As the game went on, the defense sat deeper, but the forwards continued to press, which left far too much space for Arsenal’s midfielders to work their magic. Although a gamble with high reward, Villa’s risky strategy was what eventually led to their worst loss of the season at the Emirates.