Aston Villa's Defensive Problems Run Much Deeper Than Their Centre-Backs

When a team concedes four goals in a Premier League game, particularly in the circumstances Aston Villa managed to do so against Manchester United, the natural reaction is to question the defenders and wonder whether the players at the back are good enough. There has been plenty of discussion about whether Villa need another centre-back, but I actually think that overlooks some of the more significant problems we are seeing with this team at the moment.

I didn't think Victor Lindelöf or Pau Torres had particularly bad games at Old Trafford, which probably sounds ridiculous considering the scoreline, but when you look at the situations Villa continually found themselves in, I would argue that the structure around those two players was a much bigger issue than the individual performances of either centre-back.

Jacob Tanswell agreed when we discussed it on the latest edition of 1874, and he was particularly complimentary about the way Torres handled possession during some very difficult periods of the game.

"I actually thought Pau was good," Jacob explained, pointing towards his composure when Manchester United were attempting to build momentum and force Villa into mistakes. He also felt Lindelöf defended his penalty area well, despite the four goals conceded.

The problem, as Jacob identified, is that the protection in front of the defence isn't functioning as it should, while the full-backs are regularly being left in situations where they have very little assistance from the players ahead of them.

That was particularly evident at Old Trafford, where Ian Maatsen and Taylor Harwood-Bellis were repeatedly exposed in wide areas, with Alysson and Johan Manzambi failing to provide the defensive support that was required.

I thought Harwood-Bellis actually deserves some credit because that was an enormous ask for his first Premier League start for Villa, playing out of position at right-back in an environment where we have historically struggled so badly. He had some difficult moments early on, including an occasion when he found himself too far forward and Alysson failed to recognise the danger behind him, but I thought he improved as the game progressed.

Jacob made an interesting observation about the way Emery had set Villa up, explaining that Alysson would ordinarily be expected to drop into a deeper position to help form a five-man defensive structure, whereas Harwood-Bellis was being asked to defend much wider than we would normally expect from a right-back in this system.

On the opposite side, Maatsen was similarly isolated, and I was surprised that Emery didn't temporarily switch John McGinn and Manzambi to give the Dutchman some additional protection.

However, the problems are not restricted to the wide areas, and some of the statistics Jacob highlighted during our conversation should concern everybody associated with Villa.

According to Jacob's research, Villa have made more errors leading to goals than any other Premier League side since the beginning of the 2025/26 season, while only Crystal Palace have surrendered possession more frequently in their own defensive third during the current campaign.

Those are particularly worrying figures for a team managed by somebody who places such an emphasis on organisation, positioning and controlling the circumstances in which opponents are allowed to attack.

Jacob also explained that Villa have only outrun their opponents once this season and are pressing less frequently than they were last year, which is surprising when you consider how much younger and more athletic the squad has become following the summer changes.

There are issues with the midfield as well, particularly when the two deeper players retreat towards their own penalty area and leave space for opponents to attack around the edge of the box.

Jacob pointed towards the goals scored by Joshua Zirkzee and Youri Tielemans as examples of the difficulties Villa are experiencing when opponents work the ball into those areas, with midfielders sometimes dropping so deep that they leave dangerous spaces available for cutbacks.

I don't think Boubacar Kamara had a good afternoon at Old Trafford, and Leon Goretzka also struggled to provide the sort of control we needed, but these problems have been developing over a much longer period than one disappointing performance.

Jacob highlighted that Villa were already conceding a concerning volume of chances before the Manchester United game, with Zion Suzuki having to make a significant number of saves and the team's expected goals against figures comparing unfavourably with much of the division.

There is still a huge amount to like about this Villa side, particularly going forward, and I don't think anybody should be questioning the quality of the work Emery has done or the potential of the players who have arrived over the last few months.

But if Villa are going to compete at the level we believe they are capable of reaching, they cannot continue allowing opponents such straightforward opportunities to create chances.

It is too simplistic to look at four goals conceded and conclude that Villa need better centre-backs, because I think Lindelöf and Torres are both showing that they can perform to a very good standard.

What needs to improve is everything happening around them, and until Emery finds a way of restoring the defensive organisation we have previously associated with his teams, Villa are going to continue making life unnecessarily difficult for themselves.