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Unai Emery handed Nicolas Jackson reality check as damning Aston Villa stat emerges
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- Unai Emery handed Nicolas Jackson reality check as damning Aston Villa stat emerges
Aston Villa will have to be careful that they do not become overreliant on Nicolas Jackson.
The Senegalese forward has been an impressive addition since arriving at Villa Park in the summer.
Jackson has scored eight goals in all competitions so far, with five of those coming in the Premier League.
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However, new emerging Premier League stats show Unai Emery may be facing a growing imbalance in B6.
Villa are among the worst in the English top flight in a crucial area of football.
And it seems Jackson has been bailing them out.
Nicolas Jackson is masking Aston Villa's glaring attacking problem
Jackson may be doing more heavy lifting at Aston Villa than many expect.
The forward arrived to replace Ollie Watkins, which is no easy test, and so far he has passed with flying colours.
As shared by The Athletic , Villa's performances in front of goal have been among the worst in the Premier League.
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This season, they are ranked second-worst for shot accuracy (25.2 per cent), meanwhile they are last-place for total shots on target.
In contrast to that, Jackson has been exceptional, with the forward once known for his erratic finishing proving to be a clinical number nine this season so far.
The summer arrival's five Premier League goals have come from just 2.3 xG, showing he is turning poorly rated chances into goals - the sign of a top forward.
Whether or not he can continue that remains to be seen, but that is the worry Villa will have.
While their damning shooting stats in front of goal may have been downplayed due to Jackson's goalscoring, if the 25-year-old hits a rough patch of form, there will be nobody to lift them out of their rut.
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Emery must work on this in training before Villa's struggles in the final third and opposition box come back to haunt them even more.
This is certainly a reality check that relying on Jackson may not be sustainable long-term.
Nicolas Jackson accused of committing cardinal sin in Aston Villa loss vs Barcelona Is Man United the perfect chance for Aston Villa to turn the corner?
Changes to Villa's attacking play will have to come sooner rather than later, and Emery will be able to use the coming international break to assess his options.
However, coming up against Manchester United next could be the perfect time to start bringing confidence back to his squad.
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The Red Devils have been incredibly poor this season, and pressure is rising on manager Michael Carrick.
As per FotMob , United are 15th for xG conceded with a total of 15 so far this season.
That shows they have a weak defence and could see Villa get plenty of opportunities to finally put their efforts on target.
