Nottingham Forest should use Aston Villa's Premier League-worst stat to their advantage on Saturday - opinion
12/13/2024 09:11 AM
Efficiency has been the key for Nottingham Forest so far this season, with their remarkable run in the Premier League surprising most this season.
Nuno Espirito Santo has ended Forest’s injury woes that blighted Steve Cooper during his spell in charge of Forest. Cooper also underutilised Chris Wood, something that Espirito Santo has more than fixed so far this season.
The Nottingham Forest manager’s signings have also seen the side become a more efficient Premier League outfit. Callum Hudson-Odoi praised Nikola Milenkovic for the prowess he has added to the Forest defence, with Hudson-Odoi impressed by Elliot Anderson who also joined in the summer.
All of this positivity will hopefully be taken into Forest’s clash with Aston Villa at the City Ground, with the hosts looking to keep Villa below them in the Premier League table.
Thankfully, Forest’s efficiency should stand them in good stead against Villa, with one stat showing that the visitors are far from the complete team so far this season.
Aston Villa miss the most big chances in the Premier League
Villa had a season like Forest’s last season, enjoying a historic campaign to qualify for the Champions League under Unai Emery.
However, these extra European games have clearly taken their toll on Villa, as they haven’t performed at the same level in the league this season.
So far in the Premier League, Villa sit 13th in the league for shots on target, despite being third in the rankings for big chances created with 52 so far.
Worryingly, though, they have managed to miss 32 of those big chances, leaving them rueing missed points that could have seen them far above Forest this season.
Whilst Forest will be looking to capitalise on these struggles on Saturday, Villa’s struggles in managing the workload of European and league football should be a warning for Espirito Santo.
Espirito Santo can use Aston Villa’s struggles as a guide
The Forest coaching staff won’t be getting ahead of themselves, but if the form of this season continues they could find themselves in a similar position to Villa next year.
If Forest qualify for European football this season, they will want to avoid the dip in form that Villa have experienced. but their style of play should give them a better chance.
So far, Forest have registered the lowest possession stats in the Premier League this season with 39.9%, whilst also sitting 14th in the rankings for possession won in the final third.
Their reluctance to dictate the play should help them conserve energy if they qualify for Europe, meaning that the Forest squad shouldn’t see a dip in form in the domestic fixtures.
