Aston Villa start the World Cup break 12th in the Premier League and under a new manager, Unai Emery. Tyrone Mings also tops their Power Rankings despite missing England’s squad.
Gareth Southgate elected to leave the defender at home as the Three Lions jet out to Qatar for the tournament. Mings had been a part of the England squad since October 2019 but he fell out of favour this year. Steven Gerrard also stripped him of Aston Villa’s club captaincy.
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But Mings responded to losing the armband and his omission from Southgate’s squads with a string of impressive performances. He may have potentially earned a recall to the England set-up for the World Cup, too, had it not been for a few iffy displays under Southgate’s eye.
The World Cup break offers Emery a chance to take stock of his Aston Villa squad
The World Cup break now offers Emery a good chance to run the rule over the team he has adopted. Aston Villa appointed the Spaniard on October 24 after sacking Gerrard four days earlier. His 11 months at the helm made Gerrard the fifth shortest-serving Villans manager.
Aston Villa felt they had to part with Gerrard after a 3-0 defeat at Fulham extended a run of one win in nine Premier League games dating back to August. They have since taken three wins to a loss. They beat Brentford under Aaron Danks and Manchester United with Emery.
A 2-1 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion also moved Aston Villa onto 18 points entering the World Cup break. They return to action on Boxing Day at home to Liverpool only one point from the top-half of the table. Emery’s squad also sits five points clear of the bottom three.
So, with the Premier League on pause, HITC Football has revisited our Aston Villa Power Rankings from the last international break in September with Mings claiming the top spot…
1. Mings (+1): Aston Villa’s former captain now tops our Power Rankings
Gerrard taking Aston Villa’s captaincy off Mings took a weight off the defender’s shoulders. The centre-back has rediscovered his imposing presence without having to lead the line-up in Birmingham. A potential England recall was also on the cards until some recent troubles.
Mings’ eagerness to restrict Chelsea gifted the Blues chances. He came off second-best at Newcastle United against Callum Wilson, as well. Both games came with Southgate in the stands. So, even dominating Cristiano Ronaldo was not enough for Mings’ World Cup spot.
Emery will hope Mings maintains the levels he showed against Manchester United when his tenure truly starts in December. The 29-year-old was sublime against the Red Devils as he dominated in his duels. Enough for Mings to move atop our Aston Villa Power Rankings.
2. Martinez (+2): Argentina’s No.1 goes second in our Aston Villa power rankings
Emiliano Martinez was fourth in our Aston Villa Power Rankings during the last international break behind Boubacar Kamara, Mings and Ollie Watkins. But Argentine’s No.1 now ranks in second after four clean sheets in 15 fixtures and also captained his side in three games.
Danks made the shot-stopper his skipper during his spell as Gerrard’s interim replacement. It proved to be a wise decision as Martinez led by example with his commitment to rush off his line and win the ball. He has also made a raft of important saves to inspire a turnaround.
3. Ings (NEW): The striker has earned a place in our Aston Villa Power Rankings
Danny Ings did not feature in the top 10 of our Aston Villa Power Rankings in the September international break. The striker had only scored one goal over six appearances and had only started three of those. Yet he is now the Villan’s top scorer with five from 14, starting eight.
Four of those goals have also come since Gerrard’s departure, with the former Villans boss often unable to create a system that played to Ings’ strengths. Now, the 30-year-old is just two goals shy of matching his 2021/22 tally of seven from 30 Premier League appearances.
4. Kamara (-3): An injury has hurt Aston Villa’s early Power Rankings leader
Kamara led the early-season Power Rankings at Aston Villa but has now slipped to fourth at mid-season. Yet his decline was not due to performances but for a knee ligament injury. The problem also ensured he missed out on a place in France’s World Cup team for Qatar 2022.
Didier Deschamps may have struggled to omit the 22-year-old from his side had the three-cap midfielder returned to fitness earlier. Kamara made his first start under Emery in Aston Villa’s final game before the World Cup and offered the class and defensive skill they lacked.
5. Bailey (+/-0): The Jamaica star is unmoved as he continues his puzzling season
Leon Bailey is unmoved in fifth place as the Jamaica star continues his puzzling campaign. The 25-year-old boasts three goals and two assists in 14 games – including two goals and an assist in his last four. Yet he has produced some frustrating and wasteful performances.
6. Luiz (NEW): The Brazilian has broken into our Aston Villa Power Rankings
Kamara’s injury gave Douglas Luiz a chance to step up and one the Brazilian grasped with both hands. The 24-year-old now ranks sixth in our Aston Villa Power Rankings after some nice moments in tight areas. He also has a goal and two assists over 14 consistent games.
7. Watkins (-4): Emery will want to get the striker firing as soon as possible
Emery will now try to use the World Cup break to get Watkins back firing on all cylinders as soon as possible. The 26-year-old has fallen four places in our Aston Villa Power Rankings after failing to finish the chances his endless grit has created for two goals over 14 matches.
8. Konsa (+2): A consistent run of games is doing the defender the world of good
A consistent run of games is doing Ezri Konsa the world of good as the defender continues to hit form. The 25-year-old has started Aston Villa’s 13 Premier League games since Diego Carlos ruptured his Achilles. The blow gave Konsa his route back and one he is not wasting.
9. Ramsey (-3): Finding consistency under Emery is key to the midfielder’s revival
Jacob Ramsey will be desperate to find a consistent role in Emery’s side once the Premier League resumes. The midfielder offered two goals and two assists over 15 games so far this season, starting in 12. But he was not always able to make his surging runs under Gerrard.
10. Young (NEW): He breaks into the top 10 as McGinn, Buendia and Digne fall out
Ashley Young joins Ings and Luiz in breaking into the top 10 as McGinn, Buendia and Digne fall out of our Aston Villa Power Rankings. The 37-year-old benefitted from Digne suffering a stress fracture in September to take up the left-back spot in the French full-back’s absence.
Gerrard and Danks benefited greatly from Young’s huge amounts of experience as he acted as a role model. But with Digne returning to fitness, the 39-cap former England international is already back on the Villans’ bench and will struggle to get much more than a backup role.
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