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da dobrowin： Aston Villa were poor against West Brom on Tuesday night and that’s putting it lightly. Neither talismanic midfielders Jack Grealish nor John McGinn really got going whilst there was a toothlessness to their attack.
That was predominantly down to the lack of threat their wingers provided, but that isn’t a new issue.
Anwar El Ghazi has shown glimpses of his technical quality in the final third at times this season but is far too inconsistent. Albert Adomah, meanwhile, hasn’t hit the heights of last term whilst Andre Green has also struggled to settle in after coming back from a loan spell with Portsmouth.
As such, Dean Smith should spring a surprise in the play-off final against Derby by deploying a new formation.
On the chalkboard
Although Villa eventually prevailed on penalties to reach Wembley, they will have to be considerably better to break down Frank Lampard’s side.
Jonathan Kodjia is a man in form, scoring three times in his last six matches and as such, it’s hard to leave him out – especially after the performances of Villa’s wide men.
Their goals and assist return in recent times simply is good enough and with a place in the Premier League at stake, one more poor display could be costly.
Kodjia can play out wide himself but by switching formation to put him in his favoured position, Villa can thrive. He sustained a good partnership in attack with Tammy Abraham against Rotherham last month and it was something they should look to reignite.
Therefore, moving the pair closer to each other could be devastating. It wouldn’t only solve what is arguably Villa’s last remaining problem on the flanks, but it could also have a major impact on those in the middle of the park.
With two men playing in attack, a diamond midfield should be deployed, something which gives the team protection in defence but also creativity going forward.