Europa League Performance Insights: How box midfield gave Aston Villa the platform to penetrate Lille defence
Monday, March 16, 2026
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UEFA's game insights unit and Technical Observer Steve Holland highlights how Unai Emery's flexible in-possession system sought to progress play around, through and over the opposition structure.
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"In attacking phases there are really only three ways to penetrate," according to UEFA Technical Observer Steve Holland. "Around, through or over."
Ollie Watkins' "truly impressive" finish to nod Villa into a 1-0 lead away at Lille on Thursday came from the third method: a long pass over the midfield block. The England striker's movement, awareness and technique to convert Villa's only shot on target formed a key strand of the initial analysis of the game.
But working with Holland in this article, UEFA's game insights unit delves deeper to highlight the full range of Villa's attacking options, with Watkins as the focal point ahead of a box midfield creating both central overloads and a threat from wide areas.
Aston Villa's attacking structure
Starting with Villa's structure, Holland noted the fundamental importance of the 4-2-2-2 system in possession. "It's a fairly tried and trusted method for Unai Emery's side," he explained. "It enabled them to attack in a multitude of different ways against Lille's 4-4-2.
"With Watkins as the No9, Emiliano Buendía moved inside from the left to form two No10s with Morgan Rogers, with left-back Lucas Digne high and Jadon Sancho on the right. Amadou Onana and Douglas Luiz then looked to create the base of the box in midfield to play through centrally."
The graphic above illustrates how deploying the players in these positions creates opportunities to go around, through or over the Lille defence. "Digne and Sancho are the wide players available to cross," added Holland. "They have the box in the middle to combine through and they are looking for Watkins over the top to stretch the back line."
Playing through
Holland emphasised the flexibility of Villa's play through the middle. "There were times when Watkins was on his own, with Rogers lower and close to Buendía, trying to combine," he said. "But at times Buendía was up almost as a second striker."
The box midfield detailed in the graphic formed the basis for Villa to develop the attacks revealed in the first video.
Clip one shows how positioning Buendía and Rogers in close proximity allowed them to “find the space to receive and combine, playing quick one-touch combinations to penetrate centrally".
Holland pointed out that individual player capabilities hold the key to success. "To really play those positions properly you need a certain profile of player," he explained. "A player who is comfortable receiving the ball in 360-degrees positions with back to goal. Both Buendía and Rogers have those characteristics. This allows the structure to work."
Playing around
In the second clip in the video, we see Villa's adaptability when Lille protect the middle in a low block.
"If you set up to only play through, you are going to be limited in success because opponents will set up to make it difficult to penetrate centrally and concede space on the outside," Holland explained. "So it is important to have a balance of going wide as well as through the middle to stretch the opposition and open up space to play through."
As the clip shows, Digne receives high and wide on the left and Villa have five players in the box ready to attack the cross. On the right, Sancho often threatened with combinations to get in behind.
Playing over
The second video acts as a showcase of Ollie Watkins' adaptability to consistently threaten the back line.
"As a single striker playing with a No10, there are moments when you are alone with the two centre-backs," said Holland. "And there are moments when you are alongside the No10 with the centre-backs."
In the first clip, Watkins comes short before spinning to explode through the gap. Holland said it was "really clever and elusive positioning" because he "put himself in between the centre-backs... to make a penetrative run."
The crucial 61st-minute goal – seen in the second clip – proves "the value of perseverance", according to Holland. "Watkins consistently put himself in positions of threat. Often with different movements, but the same principle: to attack the space in behind.
"For the goal, Buendía is high with him so it is a 2v2 situation. Watkins shows super anticipation to predict Buendía winning the aerial duel, then has the instant awareness of the goalkeeper's position and reacts so quickly to execute the finish perfectly."
Aston Villa's defensive structure to counterattack
Villa needed more than just the attacking front four to secure the crucial first-leg advantage in a game of few chances where the combined xG of the teams was lower than 1.0.
Lille gave Unai Emery's side similar problems with their deployment of players in central areas. In a 3-1-6 system, Bruno Génésio's side built attacks with No6 Nabil Bentaleb dropping in to make a back three. Both full-backs pushed high and the wingers drifted inside to overload centrally.
"In response Aston Villa held a very narrow 4-4-1-1," said Holland. "This made it difficult to play through, resulting in regains in central areas and counterattacks."
Clips one and two on the video above show this approach reaping dividends. "The value of regaining the ball centrally is that with the opposition full-backs advanced, you can quickly break from an in-to-out position," said Holland.
Role of the front two in 4-4-1-1 defensive structure
“Primarily, playing with a 1+1 rather than a front two is a tactic designed for out of possession," said Holland. "This gives the No10 some defensive responsibilities and enables the midfield players to stay in position in front of the back four without having to jump out, providing both defensive solidity and the platform to launch a counterattack."
The third clip shows how this worked. "Watkins, playing as the No9, was often on his own occupying the two centre-backs with Rogers around him ready to counterattack. The ball goes in short to Rogers, who scans as the ball is travelling and finds Watkins running into space."
Coaching focus: Attacking patterns
Holland emphasised the importance of working on attacking patterns. "When trying to build a successful team, coaches must consider how they can create cohesion to ensure players are on a similar wavelength and understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses," he said.
"The role of the coach in adopting attacking patterns in training is to give the players some ideas based on the strength and weaknesses of the players. This cohesion of teamwork and tactical balance, combined with individual moments of creativity, provide the platform for surprising the opposition."
He noted there were various ways to create this environment. "For example," he explained. "Carlo Ancelotti gives his players positions offensively but allows them freedom to express individuality. [But] Antonio Conte is very structured from an offensive point of view on positioning and decisions of players."
So how can working on patterns benefit the development of young players?
"It's about building different types of passing techniques, communication, scanning, changing direction etc. And particularly helping players understand certain triggers rather than the coach telling them where to play.
"It's an opportunity for choice in attacking phases, whether that's cohesive collective combinations or instinctive individual creativity. Both are important and necessary. The patterns create a confidence in the positioning of teammates to combine."
Having gained his FA coaching badge at 22, Holland spent 17 years working in Crewe Alexandra's famous footballing academy. He was assistant to a series of successful managers at Chelsea and served as Gareth Southgate's second-in-command as England reached the final of UEFA EURO 2020.
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