No goals but Emery knows Villa's forwards need time

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QuizNo goals but Emery knows Villa's forwards need timeImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Nicolas Jackson has scored eight goals in 37 games for Senegal and played at this summer's World Cup Football reporterPublished45 minutes agoIt is a new era - but Aston Villa have been here before. No goals in their first three Premier League games, with one shot on target, has followed a summer of change. They open their second Champions League campaign under Unai Emery at Club Brugge on Tuesday aiming to ignite the season. Villa took five games to score their first top-flight goal last season before ending the campaign triumphant, winning the Europa League in Istanbul. Since then, six of the starting XI from that victory have departed Villa Park, leaving them rebuilding their forward line. Record £65m buy Nicolas Jackson has replaced Ollie Watkins, while Ibrahim Mbaye and Alejandro Garnacho have arrived to fill the gap left by Morgan Rogers' £117m move to Chelsea. Emery has revamped Villa before, but can he find their new attacking edge? Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Ollie Watkins scored on his Al-Hilal debut against Al-Ahli following his £51m move to Saudi Arabia Watkins' departure to Al-Hilal - which lurched between acrimonious and emotional - has left Villa without their best attacking outlet. Despite just one goal in his first 13 top-flight games last season he ended with 16 to leave for £51m on 91 Premier League goals, a club record. Jackson was brought in as Watkins' direct replacement and was a priority signing for Emery having worked with him at Villarreal. Emery gave the Senegal striker his debut at Estadio de la Ceramica and believes he can rely on him to fill the void Watkins has left. He has started Villa's past two games, the 1-0 defeat by Arsenal and Saturday's draw at Hull. Jackson scored 30 goals in 81 appearances for Chelsea and the stats slightly favour England's Watkins, when they both played in the Premier League between 2023 and 2025. In his first Premier League season the 25-year-old scored 14 goals and assisted five, compared with Watkins' 19 goals and 13 assists. In 2024-25 Jackson scored 10 goals to Watkins' 16 in 382 fewer minutes. He only had eight fewer shots but his conversion rate of 13.2% was inferior to Watkins' of 19.1%. Jackson's touches in the box are also lower than Villa's departed striker - 168-231 in 2023-24 and 153-182 in 2024-25. Yet, Jackson's time at Bayern Munich - helping them win the Bundesliga last season - gave him a 21.1% conversion rate, scoring eight goals in 1,004 minutes of game time. It is why Emery trusts Jackson, but the unknown is being able to gel a new core of players together, however high their potential. Emery also has to ensure Mbaye - a £47m arrival from Paris St-Germain on deadline day - and Garnacho can provide Jackson the ammunition. Between them, Watkins and Rogers scored 46% of Villa's goals in the Premier League last season. Rogers and Lucas Digne provided 12 assists, with Youri Tielemans adding four and Watkins three. All four have left, so 18-year-old Mbaye and Chelsea loanee Garnacho will be expected to be the supply line, with Brian Madjo and Tammy Abraham supporting Jackson. Garnacho has, so far, been kept out by George Hemmings - the 19-year-old is highly rated at Villa Park with Emery calling him "clearly a Premier League player". But the academy product only had 25 minutes of top-flight football before this season so expectations must be managed. Argentina winger Garnacho created six big chances, earning four assists, at Chelsea last term but scored just once. Mbaye created four goals in 10 starts for PSG last season, helping them win Ligue 1, and was an unused substitute at Hull on Saturday. Emery will expect more from both once they are in tune with his demands. To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be played Emery's messaging is crucial, which is why it will take time for them to develop into the cohesive unit the manager demands. His meetings can last anywhere between 90 minutes and two hours, which naturally tests players' focus levels, but underlines the amount of detail they need to take on board. To integrate 10 new players, including Jackson, Mbaye and Garnacho, takes time. It is time Emery usually likes to use carefully - but it something he does not have in the current circumstances. It is why, when he needed players in January, Douglas Luiz returned on loan from Juventus and Abraham arrived from Besiktas. Luiz knew Emery's methods and Abraham at least knew the club, although neither deal worked - with Luiz returning to Italy and Emery willing to let Abraham go this summer only for the striker to decide to stay. Only two summer signings - Jackson and goalkeeper Zion Suzuki - started the draw at Hull and Taylor Harwood-Bellis was left out of the squad, underlining the situation Emery must deal with.

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Source: BBC Sport

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