Aston Villa: The unseen factors prompting goal drought for Unai Emery's side ahead of Sunderland clash
Aston Villa are without a win or goal scored in the Premier League so far this season; Sky Sports speaks to performance psychologist Matt Shaw to discuss the factors prompting this dip in form; watch Sunderland vs Aston Villa, live on Sky Sports this Sunday
Sunday 21 September 2025 15:57, UK
A struggling Aston Villa side, without a goal scored in the Premier League or win across the 2025/26 season, face Sunderland in their next chance to rectify a dismal start to the campaign, live on Sky Sports.
A midweek exit in the Carabao Cup to Brentford on penalties has compounded a miserable month for Unai Emery's men.
Five games, three defeats, two draws and just the one goal to their name so far.
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Deadline Day signing Harvey Elliott was the scorer of that lone effort against the Bees, ending a run of 509 minutes with a competitive goal for Villa stretching back to May.
A positive start for the former Liverpool midfielder, but it was one that merely papered over the cracks of a team looking devoid of ideas in the final third and a shadow of their former selves.
The squad contains the majority of the same attacking talent that beat Bayern Munich, pushed eventual Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain to the brink of elimination and took 11 points from last season's top five in the Premier League.
Stripping their style of play down to the fundamentals, not much has changed. Villa are running, passing and shooting at similar levels to the previous season.
So what else could cause this clear shift in output and quality for Villa? Here, Sky Sports sits down with performance psychologist Matt Shaw of InnerDrive to discuss the other potential factors that could be prompting their dip in form.
What factors are at play?
"When there are goal droughts, we tend to see that there is this almost self-perpetuating cycle of low confidence and low performance," Shaw told Sky Sports.
"Players might have some fear of failure or will be trying too hard, over-complicating it. Which means they either don't shoot or when we do shoot, they're thinking too much about it, which means we don't score and thus the cycle continues.
"It could be that there's potentially reduced self-belief. Lots of players judge their performance based solely on the outcome rather than the behaviours that they've exhibited throughout the game.
"This can add to an overall level of fatigue and almost dread about upcoming performances."
How do Villa solve their woes?
A strong start to their return to the top-flight for Sunderland now presents a daunting task for Emery and his struggling side.
The Black Cats have already displayed their Premier League credentials following their triumph in the play-off final last season, beating both West Ham and Brentford, as well as drawing against Crystal Palace away from home in their previous fixture.
So how can Villa balance their preparations for Sunday's fixture, live on Sky Sports, with an unwanted record looming over them? "Be where your feet are," is the simple answer.
Shaw continued: "Shift focus into what players can actually do right now, focusing on the now as opposed to the past.
"Be where your feet are. Keep players to some sort of process or a game plan just to make sure that there are three or four things they're trying to do each game.
"Do not overcomplicate. As soon as we start to overcomplicate it and think technically about what we're doing, then we know that players tend to perform worse as a result.
"Keep players infused by the challenge of each game, as opposed to dreading it."
Is it time to panic?
In the face of this adversity in the early stages of the season, Emery has chosen to focus on the flashes of positivity from his team. Reinforcing what he knows they are capable of.
Following the 0-0 draw with Everton, the Villa boss was quick to highlight the improvements in balance, discipline and organisation, while addressing the lack of goals from his team.
"I am happy. I could be worried a little bit, but confident for the future," he said. Emery is not panicking and despite their current troubles, the top-level talent in his squad won't be either, Shaw believes.
"People sometimes underestimate players. They are experts in what they do; they are right at the very top.
"They know a lot of these messages already; they know that it can be somewhat fickle. The problem is that if they go on a run of four games unbeaten now, some of that will be forgotten anyway.
"It is just about trying to keep people level and moving in the right directions.
"Good players and good groups do not get bad overnight."
Watch Sunderland vs Aston Villa live on Sky Sports Main Event from 1.30pm on September 21.
