Alex McLeish has not had the easiest of fortnights; the newly-installed Aston Villa boss is barely in the door following his controversial cross-town move from Birmingham City and has already had to face up to the sale of his prize asset Ashley Young to Manchester United, as his old Aberdeen gaffer Sir Alex Ferguson strengthens the champions squad in preparation for next season’s title defence.
Mainly known as a winger, last season saw Young utilised as an attacking central midfielder by Gerard Houllier more often than not; of his 34 starts for Villa last term, 24 were in a central position with just 12 coming on the flanks. The switch paid off and not only offered his club an increased offensive threat, it also saw the player take up the role for his country. Here’s a look at what he offered Villa last season and how he may fit in at United:
United’s preferred formation is, of course, 4-4-2. Fergie used the shape 24 times in the league last season, though he also turned to 4-3-3 on 7 occasions, mainly resting Rooney and Hernandez and giving Berbatov a chance to prove himself up top. Given the personnel at hand, it would seem a role on the left wing is the likeliest of positions for Young; a central role in a 4-2-3-1 would be intriguing but Fergie doesn’t seem a fan; he used the formation just once last season.
Ashley Young stats average as a Winger (12 games)
1.75 Shots, 2.08 Key Passes, 0.5 Successful Dribbles. 1 Goal, 2 Assists.
Man United Wingers
Nani (33 games): 3.1 Shots, 2.36 Key Passes, 2.5 Successful Dribbles, 9 Goals, 14 Assists.
Antonio Valencia (10 games): 0.3 Shots, 2.3 Key Passes, 1.5 Successful Dribbles per game. 1 Goal, 2 Assists. 1 Goal per 3 Shots.
Ji Sung-Park (15 games): 0.7 Shots, 1.07 Key Passes, 0.5 Successful Dribbles per game. 5 Goal, 3 Assists.
What’s perhaps surprising here is how little goal threat Valencia and Park offered last term- over his 10 games, Valencia had a total of 3 Shots and over 15 games, Park had only 10. With 1.75 Shots per game from out wide, Young will definitely boost that tally- indeed, he managed more Shots on Target per game (0.75) than either Valencia or Park had Shots. He’ll need to be more clinical though; Young had 21 Shots when playing out wide and scored only 1 Goal.
While Nani had more Shots per game than any other midfielder in the Premier League (3.1), his shooting was wayward; he had 102 Shots last term, yet scored only 9 Goals, which equates to 1 Goal every 11.36 Shots. In a sense, it suggests Nani still has a tendency to go for goal when a pass would be more sensible at times.
Young’s Key Passes (2.08) hold up against Nani (2.36) and Valencia (2.3), particularly when considering he was playing in a far less attacking team than United last term. Valencia’s stats suggest he is the opposite of Nani- he would rather go for the pass than shoot (2.3 Key Passes, 0.3 Shots), whereas Young provides more a balance of the two. Park, not known for his creative streak, had a lowly 1.07 Key Passes per game- clearly Young will boost this aspect of United’s game, too.
A look at each team’s average position in their respective home matches against Newcastle is typical of their play- in United’s opening game of the season, Nani (17) plays as high up as the forward line for United, coming inside off the wing onto his favoured left foot to shoot.
Villa’s average position map shows the difference in the teams’ shape- Villa played a 4-4-2 against Newcastle, the same as Man United, yet Young (7) never had the attacking license afforded to Nani.
This more “defensive” role may explain why Young managed just 0.5 Successful Dribbles per game; with more freedom to express himself he should at least match Valencia’s 1.5 next term. Nani’s 2.5 is again more ind
icative of his more flamboyant nature and tendency to attempt the spectacular. Young should give Ferguson a little more discipline on the left flank when given the chance.
Ashley Young stats as an Attacking Midfielder (24 games)
2.08 Shots, 2.25 Key Passes, 0.5 Successful Dribbles, 6 Goals, 5 Assists.
A comparison with his stats as a winger shows how much more of a danger Young was in the central role- over the 24 games, he managed 0.33 Shots and 0.17 Key Passes more per game and his adaptability will perhaps give Fergie food for thought in terms of formations.
His Successful Dribbles is identical to the tally on the wing (0.5) and is an aspect of Young’s game he will need to improve upon if he is to adapt seamlessly. Given that Rafael Van der Vaart averaged 2.39 Key Passes playing in the hole, Young’s 2.25 from a similar position shows his creative talents hold up with the silkiest of playmakers.
Once again, though, his shooting was woeful. 4 of the 6 Goals he grabbed were penalties here and given Young had 50 Shots from this position, it means -penalties outstanding- he scored 2 Goals from the other 46 Shots, ie- 1 Goal every 23 Shots; a poor level of finishing.
Overall, while the number of starts expected from Young is impossible to second-guess, it would seem that he will give United a steadier feel to the side; with less of a virtuoso streak than Nani, his decision-making in when to play a killer pass should see Young rack up the assists with finishers such as Rooney and Hernandez ahead of him. As for Goal output, it’s time to get the shooting practice in.
