Aston Villa have one of the best defensive records in the Premier League so it is not glib when Paul Lambert cites a lack of creativity in attack as his team’s crucial failing. Scoring a meagre 11 times in 21 games is a bit of a clue as well, but whether this is the season to make the transition from a long-ball approach to a passing game will be determined by the final league table.
The Villa manager reacted to fans’ calls for his dismissal by proclaiming himself as the right man for the challenge. “It’s a great club, I love doing it, and you don’t walk away from it,” he said. The owner, Randy Lerner, has tried and failed to sell the club and the team have slipped back to within three points of the relegation zone after a dreadfully barren run of one goal and four red cards in six league games.
Villa have been linked with Manchester City’s Scott Sinclair and are set to complete the purchase of Carles Gil, the Valencia playmaker, for £3.25m as Lambert attempts to upgrade on the inconsistent Charles N’Zogbia and perennially injured Joe Cole. Gil is due in Birmingham on Monday.
Lambert, having signed a four-year contract after a fine first month in his third season at the club, is clearly playing the long game as he endeavours to improve the team’s aesthetic appeal. After all, if a team prove capable of staying up – Villa, in the top flight since 1988, have finished 15th in the past two years – but are evidently well short of sustaining a top-six challenge, then you may as well enjoy playing and watching Premier League football.
Perhaps that will bring the crowds back, and then potential investors.
Christian Benteke, Villa’s 23-goal saviour in his and Lambert’s first season together, and Gabriel Agbonlahor look much better suited to the long-ball game that Brad Guzan, who helped limit Leicester’s victory margin to a single Paul Konchesky goal with some wonderful saves, admitted has been Villa’s modus operandi hitherto.
“We can sit here and lump the ball forward, hope for the best and try to pick up second balls but who wants to watch that?” the USA goalkeeper said. “We did that before and people weren’t happy. Now we’re keeping the ball and making teams defend and letting them chase around the pitch. We just need a little bit of magic to turn the corner. We know there’s going to be criticism and people are going to be unhappy but … the point of the game is to win and you do that by scoring goals and to do that it helps when you have the ball.”
With Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea next up, Villa will see a lot less of the ball. But sometimes that suits them, despite their noble intentions.
Nigel Pearson, the Leicester manager, knows how it feels to have pressure intensify after his newly-promoted team went three months without a win but, with seven points from their past three games, they are looking upwards and, for a team placed bottom, play excellent football.
Leicester created the better chances in this combustible derby in which Matty James, going in over the top on Jores Okore, and Ciaran Clark, with a second yellow card for his violent reaction, were deservedly sent off in stoppage time.
David Nugent looped a brilliant volley against the underside of the crossbar three minutes before Konchesky scythed a superb winner and Leonardo Ulloa, James and Marc Albrighton could have scored in the second half.
Man of the match David Nugent (Leicester City)
