Aston Villa’s current six-game winning run is the longest in the Premier League this season.
After a rocky start to the campaign, Villa are flying. Indeed, the Villans failed to win their opening five league matches. A heavy home defeat to Crystal Palace suggested the Midlands side were in for a long season.
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Yet after recovering from a goal down to beat Fulham 3-1 at the end of September, Villa have turned a corner. Unai Emery’s side have won 10 of their last 11 top-flight outings. The blip on the record book was a 2-0 loss at Liverpool, but Villa rarely, if ever, win at Anfield anyway.
In that nigh-on unstoppable run, the usual suspects have caught the eye. Morgan Rogers continues to thrive under Emery. Ezri Konsa proves why he’s a regular for England. Matty Cash is an unheralded star at right-back. Emiliano Buendia has shown how important he can be to this high-flying Villa side.
Kamara key in Villa’s winning run
As impressive as Villa have been going forward, however, they need a defensive shield. Emery favours a 4-2-3-1 setup, and one of those at the base of the midfield needs to sit back to protect the backline. It’s only fair then that Boubacar Kamara is given his flowers.
The Frenchman moved to Villa Park in 2022, and was an incredibly important addition to the squad. Villa lacked a ball winner in the middle of the park. Kamara, therefore, provided that necessary resolve. That he joined on a free transfer means there’s a fair argument to be made that Kamara is Villa’s best signing in the Premier League era. They certainly missed the 26-year-old during the bulk of 2024 owing to an ACL injury.
And as Villa weighed up a big money sale to remain within PSR guidelines, Kamara saw fit to pen a new deal until 2030 earlier in the year. The club welcomed the news with open arms. Kamara was linked with a move away from Villa over the summer as one of their more sellable assets.
Off-the-ball influence vital for Emery’s side
In hindsight, the decision to rebuff any talk of an exit was for the best. Only Cash (29) has made more tackles than Kamara (27) of Aston Villa players in the Premier League this season. No Villa player has made more interceptions (12) for the club in England’s top tier this term.
In addition, he ranks top for aerial wins (30) for Emery’s side, that in itself third of central midfielders in the division. Villa have won 15 points from losing positions in the Premier League this season, more than any other team. They remain competitive in games because of Kamara’s influence in the midfield.
Kamara’s a physically imposing midfielder who is able to repel any direct attacking threats with ease. This is vital for Villa for a number of reasons. Notably, Villa boast a 53% possession average in the 2025-26 Premier League campaign. With a lower possession return, opponents will so often pressure the Villa goal. Having a midfielder who is both a tough tackler and dominant aerially ensures the Villans don’t always concede when teams push forward.
Crucially, too, is that having a defensive workhorse of Kamara’s ilk means Villa are rarely caught out when they do commit. The Premier League’s third-placed side are one of three teams yet to concede a counter-attacking goal this season. While the likes of Rogers, Amadou Onana, Cash and Lucas Digne are prepared to support the offensive, Kamara is willing to sit back to mop up behind the quartet.
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Villa’s tempo setter allows attacking stars to thrive
No wonder Emery once described Kamara as the “sort of player any coach always wants in their squad”. Those that perform the nitty gritty duties rarely receive praise beyond their club and fanbase. Kamara is among those but he’s been just as important to Villa’s U-turn in fortunes following the sub-par start to the season.
The control he brings to the side cannot be overstated. Of Villa players to have started at least half of their league games, an 87.8% pass accuracy ranks third. What’s more, 51 passes per 90 places fourth using the same parameters. Kamara’s tidy in possession, carrying out the ‘win and recycle possession’ duties with ease. He won’t play line breaking passes, opting to instead keep things simple. The simplicity to his game is what makes Kamara one of the best in his position in the Premier League. That is, of course, when he isn’t finding the top corner against Villa’s Midlands rivals.
When Real Madrid sanctioned Claude Makelele’s exit and replaced the Frenchman with David Beckham in 2003, the analogy goes that Los Blancos sold the engine of the Ferrari. Real Madrid struggled for years following Makelele’s exit. The midfielder’s reputation was enhanced by his absence, and the same applies to Kamara.
Villa missed Kamara when he suffered an ACL injury last year. His return to fitness offered an instant reminder of his class. Now Villa sit three points off top spot ahead of Sunday’s welcome of Manchester United. They’ll certainly fancy their chances of a seventh successive win at United’s expense this weekend. With Kamara holding down the fort, many expect the dream of all the spoils to become reality.
