Being in the right place at the right time is a priceless skill.
It is often the result of understanding space and knowing when to time your off-ball movement.
In Aston Villa’s 2-1 victory against Chelsea, Marco Asensio was twice in the right place at the right time and his goals earned Unai Emery’s side three valuable points.
First, on the second phase of a set piece, Asensio was positioned towards the near post when Matty Cash tried to find Marcus Rashford towards the far one.
Asensio made a run to the initial near post to complement the cross, which proved vital when Malo Gusto’s touch minimised Rashford’s shooting angle.
In that position, Asensio offered his team-mate the perfect passing option, and the Spain forward scored the equaliser.
Towards the end of the match, Asensio scored from another set piece, where he efficiently executed his role in Villa’s corner routine.
When Rashford played the short corner to Youri Tielemans, Asensio was marked by Jadon Sancho near the penalty spot. The short corner forced Cole Palmer to move out towards Tielemans…
… and Chelsea’s block adjusted their position with Sancho ready to press the Villa players outside the penalty area. However, when Tielemans played the ball back to Rashford…
… Chelsea’s defensive line had to hold their position to be able to defend the space between themselves and their goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.
Meanwhile, Asensio maintained his position because the purpose of the routine was to create space for the forward by manipulating Chelsea’s defensive setup. By sticking to his zone and not moving, Asensio was in position to receive Rashford’s pass…
… and his volley hit the back of the net with the help of Jorgensen’s mistake.
Asensio’s brace brought an end to Villa’s five-game winless streak in the Premier League — and prevented them from drifting away in the battle for European places. Yet, it wasn’t only about the goals.
Asensio’s understanding of his role and how Villa operate in possession of the ball should provide some optimism for the remainder of the season, especially with Emery’s side still competing in the FA Cup and the Champions League.
In possession, Villa started the game with three No 10s in Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Rogers and Asensio looking to attack the spaces between the lines.
The most impressive part of Asensio’s performance was his off-ball movement within Villa’s structure and patterns.
In this example, Emery’s side is building in a 4-2 shape (Ian Maatsen is out of shot) and looking to play through Chelsea’s block with a vertical passing combination. Emiliano Martinez entices the press and plays a line-splitting pass to Rogers…
… which is the trigger for Asensio to attack the space behind Moises Caicedo. Before Rogers plays the next pass, Asensio is already on the move and Levi Colwill’s advanced position…
… means that the Spain forward can dribble the ball into space because Tosin and Gusto are occupied by Ollie Watkins and Ramsey.
Asensio then plays the ball to Watkins, but the striker’s shot is saved by Jorgensen.
In another example, Caicedo is momentarily overwhelmed by Rogers, which forces Tosin to move up towards the dropping Asensio.
Initially, Ezri Konsa thinks about finding Asensio between the lines, but as the passing angle is narrow, he plays the ball back to Tyrone Mings.
As Mings is in position to find Maatsen’s run behind the defence, Ramsey drops to drag Gusto up the field and enable one of Villa’s trademark moves under Emery.
While Ramsey and Asensio manipulate Gusto and Tosin, Watkins (out of shot) forces Colwill deeper to keep Maatsen onside.
However, Mings’ pass puts Maatsen away from goal and allows Tosin to recover. Villa’s left-back then tries to find Watkins, but his cross isn’t accurate.
In the second half, Villa’s attacking dynamics changed after the introduction of Rashford: Asensio and Rogers maintained their narrow positioning, but the Manchester United loanee (out of shot) operated down the left wing.
Later in the game, Asensio operated as the sole No 10 with Leon Bailey and Rashford focusing on attacking the wide areas.
On paper, Villa didn’t change their shape but the personnel and the dynamics of the attack were different. By decreasing the number of forwards operating between the lines, Caicedo could theoretically focus on marking Asensio, but the changes also created a bigger space for the Spain forward to operate in.
Here, Enzo Fernandez and Reece James are pressing John McGinn and Tielemans while Sancho is trying to block the passing lane between Konsa and Andres Garcia. When Konsa finds his right-back…
… there is space for Garcia to dribble into. The moment Villa’s right-back receives the ball, Asensio distances himself from Caicedo to put the Chelsea midfielder in a situation where he has to choose between defending the wide area or central space.
Caicedo chooses the first option, which allows Garcia to find Asensio between the lines…
… but the forward’s shot completely misses the target.
The way Villa attack under Emery puts a lot of importance on the movement and positioning of the No 10 and the narrow forwards.
If Asensio is to replicate this performance moving forward, being in the right place at the right time should be the norm not the exception.
