- Founded 1874
- Stadium Villa Park
- Manager Unai Emery
- Competition Premier League 2026-27
- Goals 0
- Goals Conceded 5
- Yellow Cards 6
- Total Red Cards 1
Aston Villa Squawka Score ratings 2026/27
A fourth-placed finish and a Europa League triumph in 2025/26 have been followed by the worst possible start. Unai Emery’s side are 17th with a single point, beaten 4-0 at Brighton and 1-0 at home by Arsenal before a goalless afternoon at Hull City. Three games, no goals, five conceded. Below, we take a look at Villa’s most-used XI so far and how each player has performed.
The Squawka Score is a metric developed to assess a player’s performance relative to other players in the same position. It is shown as a percentage, and it is worth knowing that 66% is average rather than 50% – a 70% is a good afternoon and 85% or above marks out one of the best players on the pitch. Each score is calculated from a range of per-90-minute statistics, taking in the obvious numbers such as goals and assists alongside some more obscure ones that are far more position-specific.
Because the scores are measured against a full season’s benchmarks for each position, individual percentages for 2026/27 will be added once enough of the campaign has been played for those benchmarks to mean anything. Three league games is not enough. For now, here is the most-used XI and how each player has actually performed.
GK: Zion Suzuki – Two starts and a clean sheet at Hull, with five saves and one goal conceded across his 180 minutes. Suzuki has been assertive off his line, completing all three of his sweeper actions, and he has not been the problem in a side that has struggled at the other end. The 4-0 at Brighton came on the afternoon he did not play.
RB: Matty Cash – The most reliable tackler in the side, winning five of his six attempts, and he has won 12 duels alongside 10 passes into the penalty area. Cash has also been booked once and conceded five fouls, and he has been dribbled past twice. For a full-back in a team defending this much, it is a respectable return.
LB: Ian Maatsen – Five interceptions and nine clearances, five of them headed, so the defensive volume is there. The concern is the duel record: seven won and 16 lost, with five fouls conceded and two occasions where he has been beaten one-on-one. Going forward he has managed just three passes into the box in three games.
LCM: Ross Barkley – Villa’s most willing creator, with six chances created and one of them a clear-cut opening – more than anyone else at the club. Barkley has also had six shots for 0.38 xG and blocked three. The flip side is that he has been dispossessed eight times, the highest figure in the side, and lost 16 of his 27 duels.
RCB: Victor Lindelöf – One of only two Villa players to have played every minute, and the busiest man in the back line with 13 clearances, eight of them headed. The oddity is 0.97 xG without a shot on target, which comes from set-piece positions he has not converted. He has not been charged with a single error.
LCB: Pau Torres – Two starts and the hardest afternoon of any Villa defender. Torres has seven clearances and seven possessions regained in his own third, but he is the only player in the side charged with an error leading to a goal, and another leading to a shot. He has also won just two of his eight duels.
RW: John McGinn – The captain has led the side for passes into the penalty area with 18 and won 15 duels, but this has been a bruising start. Two yellow cards, five fouls, two errors leading to shots and nine occasions dispossessed, plus a big chance missed. The effort is not in question; the control has been.
RCM: Boubacar Kamara – Every minute played, and the closest thing Villa have had to a steadying influence. Kamara leads the club for passes into the final third with 25, has won 15 duels and five aerials, and has three tackles won plus two interceptions. Six fouls is the one blemish on an otherwise controlled start.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – Two starts, 156 minutes and no goal yet, from two shots and 0.18 xG. Jackson has at least been busy in the right areas, with six touches in the opposition box, four completed take-ons and one clear-cut chance created for someone else. He has won eight of his 11 duels, which is a promising base to build on.
AM: Emiliano Buendía – Six shots for 0.53 xG, the most of any Villa player, and 11 passes into the box from the No.10 role. Buendía has also taken a share of the set pieces. The aerial numbers tell you how isolated he has been at times: four won and 13 lost, alongside 20 duels lost in total and a big chance missed.
LW: George Hemmings – Three starts for the young winger and a creditable shift in a struggling team. Hemmings has created two chances, one of them clear-cut, and regained possession eight times in his own third, which tells you how much defending he has done. One shot in three games is the number that needs to change.
Aston Villa set-piece specialists:
- Penalties: Emiliano Buendía
- Free-kicks: Emiliano Buendía
- Corners: John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía
Villa’s dead balls have been shared between McGinn and Buendía, with three corners each and Ross Barkley and Alejandro Garnacho taking one apiece. Buendía has taken the only direct free-kick and should inherit the penalties with Ollie Watkins, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne all gone, though Villa are yet to be awarded one this season.
Aston Villa FAQs
How have Aston Villa started the 2026/27 season?
Badly. Villa sit 17th with one point from three games, having lost 4-0 at Brighton and 1-0 at home to Arsenal before drawing 0-0 at Hull. They are yet to score a league goal.
Where did Aston Villa finish in the 2025/26 Premier League season?
Villa finished fourth on 65 points, which is their highest league placing of the Emery era.
Who is the Aston Villa manager?
Unai Emery is the Aston Villa manager, taking the reins in 2022 after Steven Gerrard was sacked.
Who is the current Aston Villa captain?
John McGinn is Aston Villa’s current captain.
Are Aston Villa playing in Europe in 2026/27?
They are. Villa are in the Champions League after their fourth-placed finish, and they won the Europa League in 2025/26.