Zion Suzuki Potentially Has An Achilles Heel and Aston Villa's Opponents Are Taking Notice

I think Zion Suzuki has shown enough since arriving at Aston Villa to suggest that he can become a very good goalkeeper for the club, and there have certainly been occasions when his shot-stopping has been impressive, but there is an aspect of his game that is beginning to concern me, particularly when you consider how quickly opposition teams in the Premier League identify weaknesses and look to exploit them.

Suzuki looked uncomfortable dealing with crosses throughout the 4-4 draw against Manchester United, and although the discussion following the game inevitably centred on whether he was fouled for the late equaliser, I don't think we should allow that particular decision to distract from some of the wider concerns about his performances in recent weeks.

Having watched the incident again, I can understand why Villa supporters believe a free-kick should have been awarded, because there was contact on Suzuki as he attempted to deal with the corner, and Jacob Tanswell agreed with that interpretation when we discussed it on the latest edition of 1874.

"By the letter of law, it's a foul," Jacob explained, although he was equally clear that Suzuki needed to be more commanding in those situations, particularly given his size and the physical attributes that should make him capable of dealing with the challenges presented by opposition players.

I agree with Jacob on that, because while I can understand the frustration surrounding the refereeing decision, Villa should never have been defending that corner under such enormous pressure in the first place, having been two goals ahead with only a few minutes remaining, and I find it difficult to concentrate too much on whether a foul should have been awarded when there were so many opportunities to prevent the situation from developing.

There is also an argument that Suzuki needs to be stronger and make better decisions about when to come for the ball, because I thought he looked uncertain on several occasions at Old Trafford, and that uncertainty can become a problem for the defenders in front of him when they aren't entirely sure whether their goalkeeper is going to take responsibility for a delivery into the penalty area.

One of the most interesting things Jacob revealed during our conversation was that concerns about Suzuki's handling of crosses towards the back post had actually been raised before he joined Villa, with people he had spoken to identifying it as an area of his game that opposition teams might be able to exploit.

"Back post crosses is an issue," was how Jacob described the information he had received, explaining that it was something people had noticed when watching Suzuki represent Japan, even if those difficulties weren't particularly apparent during his opening appearances for Villa.

I found that interesting because it suggests we aren't simply reacting to a goalkeeper having a difficult afternoon or making an isolated mistake, but potentially seeing an aspect of his game that has required improvement for some time, and which is now becoming more noticeable as Premier League opponents gather information about him.

Jacob also pointed out that teams have started testing Suzuki with deeper crosses, and I think that is something worth watching over the coming weeks because once opposition analysts identify a particular vulnerability, they will naturally look for ways to create those situations as frequently as possible.

However, I don't think all the responsibility should fall on Suzuki, because Villa also have to do a much better job of protecting their goalkeeper, particularly from set pieces where opponents are deliberately attempting to prevent him from getting a clear run towards the ball.

Jacob explained that blocking is actually an important part of Villa's own attacking set-piece routines, with players regularly attempting to prevent opposition defenders from attacking deliveries, and having spoken to a set-piece coach himself, he was able to offer some useful context about the methods teams use to create an advantage in those situations.

There appeared to be very little protection for Suzuki when Manchester United delivered that late corner, and while I still believe he should have dealt with the situation more effectively, I also think somebody in a Villa shirt needed to recognise what was happening and prevent the opposition from getting into a position where they could interfere with him so easily.

That is particularly important when you consider that Villa are already allowing opponents too many opportunities to attack their penalty area, with Jacob highlighting some concerning defensive statistics during our conversation, including the number of chances being conceded and the amount of work Suzuki has been required to do.

It would be unfair to ignore the important saves he made at Old Trafford, just as it would be unfair to judge his entire Villa career on the own goal against Fulham and the difficulties he experienced against Manchester United, because there have been encouraging performances and I still think there is plenty of potential there.

Jacob suggested that the international break might actually arrive at a good time for Suzuki, allowing him an opportunity to reset after a difficult couple of matches, and I think there is something in that because the scrutiny surrounding a goalkeeper can become particularly intense when mistakes begin to attract attention.

What I don't want is for every cross into the Villa penalty area to become a source of anxiety, either for Suzuki himself or for the players around him, because once that uncertainty develops it can affect the entire defensive unit, particularly when the team is already struggling to maintain the level of organisation we have previously associated with Unai Emery.

I thought Jacob's observations were particularly interesting because they provided some background to what we are now seeing, and if teams had already identified Suzuki's difficulties with certain types of delivery before he arrived in England, there is every chance that Premier League opponents will increasingly attempt to take advantage.

Suzuki has the physical attributes to become a commanding presence in Villa's penalty area, but he now needs to demonstrate that he can consistently make the right decisions when dealing with crosses, while the players around him have a responsibility to ensure he receives the protection required to do his job properly.

It feels like a blip, rather than a big issue, Suzuki has demonstrated he is a more than capable goalkeeper, but the follow on from the Fulham mistake is definitely unsettling.