Less ball, more danger: How Villa finally found their cutting edge in Bruges
Villa won with barely a third of the ball, yet produced 21 shots and 3.0 xG. A tactical breakdown of the counter-attacking blueprint that ended the drought.
08.09.26, 22:58 Updated 08.09.26, 22:58 7 Minute Read
Andrea Locorotondo
The story in brief
- Aston Villa won 3-2 at Club Brugge to open their Champions League campaign, ending a three-game goalless start to the season.
- John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía and Nicolas Jackson all scored inside 43 minutes, with Jackson opening his account for the club.
- Villa managed it with just 35.9% possession, converting 21 shots and 3.0 xG on the counter-attack.
Villa finally found their ruthlessness, and they did it by giving up the ball entirely.
The perfect inversion of the Hull problem
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Andrea Locorotondo SJA and AIPS member. Aston Villa In-Ground correspondent for Opta. Football writer and commentator. If you are coming to Villa Park, you will always find me on seat C22 in the press box.