Aston Villa boss Unai Emery out to beat the blockers
Unai Emery admits Villa must get better at breaking down opponents who defend deep to frustrate their attack.
The head coach acknowledges the success of his team means they must get used to facing more sides who sit back in a bid to take the sting out of their forward line.
Emery, who watched Villa finally break down Middlesbrough on Saturday courtesy of an 87th minute goal, revealed he has been working on new methods which will help his players break the shackles.
He said: “It is our next step as a team. We are facing a lot of teams who play with a low block and are respecting us a lot.
“Saturday (at Middlesbrough) was similar to Burnley, Zrinjski and Legia Warsaw. We know it and we are trying to add in our practice and preparation things which can help us face it.
“It is not easy to beat teams defending like that, particularly when they do it very well.
“For me, tactically it is exciting to face a difficult challenge and it is the same for our players.”
Villa are the Premier League’s joint second highest scorers having netted 43 times in 20 matches. They visit Everton on Sunday ahead of a fortnight winter break.
Emery added: “We are playing a lot of matches like this because teams in the Premier League, in Europe and the FA Cup are respecting us a lot.
“Our improvement means teams are facing us differently. We can improve by playing matches like this.”
