DAston Villa and Burnley come face-to-face on Saturday afternoon.
What areas might Dean Smith and Sean Dyche focus on in their efforts to get the better of the opposition?
Key Clashes
Wesley vs James Tarkowski
Wesley is a nuisance of a striker. He has lots of physicality but his link-up play is also very good. Tarkowski will relish the physical tussle with the centre-forward and will hope to minimise his impact on the game.
The Brazilian forward notched his second goal of the season against Arsenal last weekend but question marks still remain about his goal-getting nous. He missed a great opportunity to win a big home match against West Ham United and doesn’t seem to have the same ruthlessness that Tammy Abraham had. Nonetheless, they’re different players and Wesley can have more impacts on a match than simply scoring goals.
Tarkowski will know that both he and Ben Mee will need to prevent Wesley’s ability as a focal point. With his physique, the striker can make life difficult for defenders and it gives his team a more direct option to relieve pressure. Villa often play football out from the back but the presence of Wesley gives them aerial and physical threat to complement their array of talented footballers.
John McGinn vs Jack Cork
McGinn is a creative menace who is capable of the spectacular. He scored Villa’s first goal of the season with a well-taken drive past Hugo Lloris. Cork will hope to nullify the Scottish international and get the upper hand in the midfield battle.
The Villa man plays in central-midfield but often advances into the final third. He plays in an advanced ’eight’ position which allows him to pick up lots of spaces in and around the box. His left foot is deadly and he already has two goals and one assist to his name. Those numbers should increase given the positions that he gets himself into and Cork will have to be aware of this threat from the middle of the park.
Cork has had a solid start to the campaign after a sluggish 2018-19 season. The 30-year-old looked exhausted at times and it seems the summer break was a timely one. He is now playing with more energy and is making less errors but he will have to play a disciplined match to help Ashley Westwood contain the Villa midfield.
Tyrone Mings vs Chris Wood
Mings has been impressive since his move from Bournemouth. He is a real leader at the back for Villa and his ball playing attributes have been greatly appreciated. The defender must be on top of his game to keep the duo of Wood and Ashley Barnes. Wood had made a sluggish start to the campaign but he fired a double last weekend.
Mings’ passing is excellent. He is a giant of a man but his technical qualities should not be understated. Injuries blighted his career at Bournemouth but he has bounced back with a bang in the Midlands. He was superb against Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend and he really didn’t deserve to be on the losing team.
Wood’s goal drought had been emphasised with strike partner Barnes already on four goals. The New Zealand international scored two poacher's goals against Norwich City, reminding the doubters of his clinical abilities in and around the box. He will be looking to pit his wits against Bjorn Engels after the Belgian’s clumsy antics helped Arsenal to turn the tables on the Villains; it will be up to Mings to lead the defence by example while Engels will hope for a more consistent display this weekend.
Tactical
Villa want to win by entertaining. Smith's men will play out from the back and will look to take the game to their opponents. On the opening day, they made a brilliant start against Tottenham but missed out on the points after shipping three late goals. It was a similar story against Arsenal last weekend. They created some excellent openings and found themselves 2-1 up with a man advantage but crumbled late on to lose 3-2. Smith has them looking really impressive when going forward but they do look vulnerable at the back.
Burnley are a tough nut to crack if they go a goal ahead. Dyche’s players pride themselves on organisation and structure. It may not be the most exciting thing to coach but getting that right is one of the fundamentals of football; building the attacking play from solid defensive foundations. It’s a different story if they go behind. The Clarets rarely manage to turn a game around because their attacking play is not as fluid or as intricate as other teams; they struggle against a deep-block and prefer it when teams try to attack them as it opens up spaces in behind.
The Lowdown
At home, Villa will be expected to try and seize the initiative which may well play into Burnley’s hands. Even when they have a lead, Smith’s side haven’t been able to show resilience in being able to see a game out, although, they were up against Tottenham and Arsenal in those matches. It’s an interesting problem in that Villa have shown ill-discipline whilst in command of a lead while Burnley have a history of being unable to turn too many games around.
If Villa take the lead then their resilience should not be as fiercely tested as it was in London. Burnley are a very good side but they are not in the same league as the top-six. They will need to cut out the silly defensive errors but will be aware that the attacking bombardment would be of a lesser difficulty.
On the other hand, if Burnley take the lead then they will feel confident about getting the three points. Villa couldn't score against Crystal Palace and West Ham this season with many of their goals coming against teams that want to open up. The Clarets will not play an expansive style and so if they can manage to beat their former star Tom Heaton then they should fancy their chances of picking up a victory.