Aston Villa tactic and team guide. Club culture and board requirements, tactics, key players, youth prospects and transfers in FM22.
Football Manager 2022 Aston Villa tactic and team guide. Club culture and
board requirements, tactics, key players, youth prospects and potential
transfers in FM22.
Here is a brief analysis of the Aston Villa squad, their club structure, relationship any potential managers will have with the board, expectations and possible tactics any FM manager can use.
About Aston Villa
Villa are one of the founding members of the football league in 1888 & also one of the founding members of the Premier League in 1992. Villa are a club rich in history and were a premiership team for24 years until their relegation in 2016. After a few turbulent years and ownership changes, Villa made it to the PL in 2019 but barely avoided relegation. However, after a strong showing in the 2020-2021 season, where Villa finished 11th and were much higher up on the points table for most of the season, the club is considered one of the stronger mid-level clubs in the Premier League.
After a few very good signings over the past 3 seasons, the Villa board is obviously quite ambitious in their intent. The board requirements once you take over will be;
· Finish in the top half of the Premier League.
· A 5th round < finish in the FA Cup
· A 4th round < finish in the EFL Carabao Cup.
Additionally, the manager will be required to play attacking, entertaining football with an onus on signing younger players for the future.
Villa have decent training facilities and an adequate youth set-up. However, you will need to improve the facilities to achieve consistency with Villa.
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Villa have quite a healthy squad with able backups for most positions.
The best suited tactical set-up with Villa is the Gegenpress. This will help Villa win the ball high up the pitch and will satisfy the board's desire of attacking football. You can easily go with a fluid counter-attacking setup for tougher away games.
A 4-2-3-1 is the ideal set up for this Villa squad, it also incidentally mimics how they line up in real life. Alternatively, you can go for a 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3 formation, depending on how you want to line up the players.
A rough example of what your line-up would look like in a 4-2-3-1 formation is as follows;
Squad, Formation and Tactical Style
Villa have quite a healthy squad with able backups for most positions.
The best suited tactical set-up with Villa is the Gegenpress. This will help Villa win the ball high up the pitch and will satisfy the board's desire of attacking football. You can easily go with a fluid counter-attacking setup for tougher away games.
A 4-2-3-1 is the ideal set up for this Villa squad, it also incidentally mimics how they line up in real life. Alternatively, you can go for a 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3 formation, depending on how you want to line up the players.
A rough example of what your line-up would look like in a 4-2-3-1 formation is as follows;
Emiliano Martinez as a sweeper-keeper
Ezri Konsa & Axel Tuanzebe as the 2 ball-playing centre backs. (Mings is just as proficient)
Matty Cash & Matt Targett as the 2 wing backs with increased crossing instructions.
Douglas Luiz in a ball-winning midfielder role & John McGinn as a box to box midfielder.
Ollie Watkins & Leon Bailey as your left and right-wingers, respectively. Watkins is more of a wide forward and should be played as an inside forward, while Bailey can be played either as an inside forward or an inverted winger.
Emiliano Buendia as an attacking playmaker down the middle.
Danny Ings as a lone forward in a Pressing Forward role.
Alternatively, when you change to a 4-3-3, you can deploy Sanson in the midfield to have more bodies in midfield.
Buendia is a new signing at Villa and is on the back of an amazing season in the championship with Norwich. His assists and link-up play with the forwards could be crucial to your season.
Leon Bailey
Bailey is another new signing and is a quality winger. Although he has taken his time to settle at Villa in real life, he is amongst the top wingers in the game and can easily leave an influence in games.
Danny Ings
Ings is an accomplished forward who is lethal in front of a goal. His partnership with Watkins and linking up with Buendia could help shape the season for Villa.
Emiliano Martinez
Martinez is amongst the best keepers in the league and can certainly win games on his own with his performances. He will be one of the most important players in your save.
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There are a few exciting young prospects in the ranks or on loan who have the potential to be some of the best players in the league. A few examples are,
Jacob Ramsey
Youth Prospects
There are a few exciting young prospects in the ranks or on loan who have the potential to be some of the best players in the league. A few examples are,
Jacob Ramsey
The midfielder has already been involved with the first team quite a lot this season in real life and is a top prospect at the club.
Carney Chukweumeka
Another midfielder with a lot of potential, Chukweumeka, is highly rated by the coaches at Villa and is a decent prospect in game. In a few years, he can be a quality player for Villa.
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· With so many new signings, there is a lack of chemistry on the pitch and in the dressing room. It could already be too late in the season when you eventually work things out.
· With the club already spending so much of money, there is nothing left for the new manager even if he wishes to strengthen any positions.
· Defense is still a weak area, and Villa could concede a lot of goals without the right tactic.
· The quality of some of the backups may not be as good as the main players.
These players could be a handy addition to the Villa squad and help them achieve their targets,
· William Saliba
· Lucas Digne
These players may be surplus to requirements at the club or may not be of the expected quality.
· Keinan Davis
· Trezeguet
Weaknesses
· With so many new signings, there is a lack of chemistry on the pitch and in the dressing room. It could already be too late in the season when you eventually work things out.
· With the club already spending so much of money, there is nothing left for the new manager even if he wishes to strengthen any positions.
· Defense is still a weak area, and Villa could concede a lot of goals without the right tactic.
· The quality of some of the backups may not be as good as the main players.
Potential Transfers (in)
These players could be a handy addition to the Villa squad and help them achieve their targets,
· William Saliba
· Lucas Digne
Potential Transfers (Out)
These players may be surplus to requirements at the club or may not be of the expected quality.
· Keinan Davis
· Trezeguet
Summary
Villa have a well-rounded squad that could see most managers achieve the
board's goals. However, can you hold on to your best players and take Villa
to the next level?
