Player Focus: Shot Shy Villa Profiting from Gift of the Gab

The story of the local boy turned good is a heartwarming one for a fan of any club, and the affinity between Gabby Agbonlahor, Aston Villa and its fans is one that is rekindling this season.

The Erdington-born forward broke into the Villa side at such a young age, it is easy to forget that he is still just 25, and after a torrid campaign last season under Gerard Houllier, with the player admitting he would have considered leaving had the Frenchman stayed, Agbonlahor is a striker reborn under Alex McLeish. The Brummie is joint top scorer with Darren Bent this season but is also the only Villa player to register more than one assist this term, with 3 of an impressive tally of 4 setting up his aforementioned strike partner.

Playing from both wide and up front this season, Agbonlahor has been crucial to an albeit modest start to McLeish's tenure at the club, with WhoScored analysing his importance to the side based on the results in which he has held a direct influence.

Main Goal Threat

In a Villa side that has been extremely shot shy this term, Gabby Agbonlahor is the main threat in front of goal, racking up 2.4 shots per game compared to poacher Bent's 1.8.

The pair’s finishing has been key to Villa's current 8th placed standing, with the team only attempting 12 shots per game; only more than Blackburn and Stoke. Add to this that they have attempted the joint least shots on target per game with the latter (3), and Villa's goal tally of 16 is impressive. The Midlanders have in fact scored with 46% of their efforts on target, which is a figure only matched by league leaders Man City.

Agbonlahor's tally of 5 goals and 4 assists is already up from just 3 and 1 respectively last term, despite starting 6 less games (15 less appearances in total) so far this term. His shots per game ratio has risen from a meagre 1.1 last season, but it is perhaps the forward’s end product which has seen the most improvement.

The 25-year-old has all but doubled the number of chances he has created per game (0.8 to 1.5), and his 4 assists could be higher if one considers that it was his ball that eventually fell to Stephen Warnock vs City - via a deflection off Charles N'Zogbia. He has also won two converted penalties, meaning in another man's books he has set up 7 goals already this season.

Two successful dribbles against Norwich last time out led to deliveries for both of Darren Bent's strikes and his ability to take on a man has improved greatly on last season. The fact that he has completed 1.4 successful dribbles per game compared to 0.5 in 2010/11 is another contributing factor that has seen his WhoScored rating rise from 6.34 to 7.19, ranking him 28th in our Premier League database.

Goal Contributions Vital to Villa's Positive Results

A look at the results in which Gabby Agbonlahor has contributed goals this season, be it through strikes himself, assists or penalties won, goes a long way to proving his importance in McLeish's set-up. While a fairly subdued opener with Fulham saw nobody really shine, Agbonlahor certainly stole the limelight in a first half display at Villa Park's inaugural match this season.

Before going off injured at half time, Agbonlahor scored a magnificent opener before setting up the second in a 3-1 win over Blackburn. His 2-goal contribution in the opening period earned Villa the 3 points rather than just the 1. Another home match against Wolves followed, and like the opener at Craven Cottage, the game proved to be a drab affair, again ending in a stalemate.

The forward’s equaliser against Everton not only ensured a point for the visitors, but was also Agbonlahor's 50th Premier League strike for Villa - a high point in a memorable campaign so far. Leon Best’s leveller cancelled out another opener at Villa Park against Newcastle, but at least saw Villa pick up a point against this season's surprise package, rather than none. In the next match he won a penalty converted by Barry Bannan, before playing star of the show in front of his home fans once again with a goal and assist against Wigan.

A three-match run without a goal or assist followed, and many Villans may have been thinking they had seen the best out of the boyhood fan, but think again. Despite a brace from Darren Bent last time out, Agbonlahor deservedly took the headlines, assisting both and adding another in a 3-2 victory that could have been much different without him in the side.

All in all, a look at the results the front man has affected shows that Villa would not have won any of their 11 games thus far without his goal contributions, while they would have lost 3 of their 6 draws already this season. He has contributed to a goal in all but one of Villa's home league games this season, including penalties won, and only failed to registered an involvement in any strikes on 4 occasions.

One thing is for certain; if the England team was picked on club form, Gabby Agbonlahor would be starting against Spain come Saturday. Whether Capello prefers to stick to his more tried and trusted internationals remains to be seen.