{"id":2197474,"date":"2026-10-14T05:41:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T02:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2197474"},"modified":"2026-10-14T05:41:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T02:41:06","slug":"villa-park-is-stadium-rebuild-affecting-aston-villas-performances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2197474","title":{"rendered":"Villa Park: Is stadium rebuild affecting Aston Villa&#8217;s performances?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/branded_sport\/1200\/cpsprodpb\/1e4f\/live\/5fa81060-c6eb-11f1-bc1b-8dfa7c975faa.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"ssrcss-2fe4mx-ArticleWrapper e1nh2i2l0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<div data-block=\"headline\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-usmnse-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<header data-testid=\"headline\">\n<h1 id=\"main-heading\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"ssrcss-8zqj65-Heading e10rt3ze0\"><span role=\"text\">&#8216;No excuses&#8217; &#8211; but is Villa&#8217;s stadium rebuild affecting team?<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"image\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-hc6arm-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pflr6j-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/1e4f\/live\/5fa81060-c6eb-11f1-bc1b-8dfa7c975faa.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/1e4f\/live\/5fa81060-c6eb-11f1-bc1b-8dfa7c975faa.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/1e4f\/live\/5fa81060-c6eb-11f1-bc1b-8dfa7c975faa.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/1e4f\/live\/5fa81060-c6eb-11f1-bc1b-8dfa7c975faa.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/1e4f\/live\/5fa81060-c6eb-11f1-bc1b-8dfa7c975faa.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/1e4f\/live\/5fa81060-c6eb-11f1-bc1b-8dfa7c975faa.jpg.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/span><span role=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-tzgxt7-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image source, <\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-3uli8u-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image caption, <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Aston Villa&#8217;s rebuild of the North Stand is due to be completed next year <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"byline\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"single-byline\" class=\"ssrcss-sevsa1-ContributorContainer ee66fvo3\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-dt4z-ContributorInfo ee66fvo0\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">By<\/span><span class=\"ssrcss-nsjd43-TextContributorName epw3ir01\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1q14p6q-LinkWithChevronContainer epw3ir02\"><span class=\"byline-link-text\">Nick Mashiter<\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-dqo7s5-ContributorDetails ee66fvo2\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1m5444d-Text ee66fvo4\">Football reporter<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"metadata\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"metadata\">\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-9tw7r1-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-10q9h22-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-sf7vdp-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Published<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-61mhsj-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\"><time data-testid=\"timestamp\" datetime=\"2026-10-14T05:41:06.217Z\">2 hours ago<\/time><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b>&#8220;No excuses,&#8221; said Unai Emery. <\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The Aston Villa head coach was talking about his team&#8217;s form amid Villa Park&#8217;s rebuild. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He had already turned the air blue when describing their defeat to Nottingham Forest last month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It was a rare moment of candour from the Spaniard with Villa yet to win at home this season after Saturday&#8217;s 2-2 draw with Brentford.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The North Stand is a shell and currently closed for building work as the club increases the stadium&#8217;s capacity to over 50,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It is part of the club&#8217;s plan to help Villa bridge the financial gap in the Premier League, but they may have to endure some short-term pain for long-term gain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"media\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-hc6arm-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\">\n<div data-chromatic=\"ignore\" class=\"ssrcss-dtyrnv-MediaPlayerWrapper e1h75hkw2\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1553su4-ErrorMessage eitf6465\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-h7lv7m-StyledInnerContainer eitf6464\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nbxsk2-TextContent eitf6461\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-89o2pv-Heading e10rt3ze0\">To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">This video can not be played<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-3uli8u-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Figure caption, <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Highlights: Ajer scores late to earn Brentford draw at Aston Villa<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Fenerbahce visit on Wednesday as Champions League football returns to Villa Park.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">With them is Marcos Asensio, who scored eight goals for Emery&#8217;s men during a successful loan from Paris St-Germain in 2025 &#8211; and a reminder of the swagger Villa used to have at home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He scored in Saturday&#8217;s 3-0 win over Rizespor, with Fenerbahce netting 11 goals in their last two games, including an 8-0 victory against Turkish Super Lig strugglers Eyupspor. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">That could present a problem for a Villa defence that has kept just one clean sheet this season and been increasingly fallible at home, something Emery knows must improve regardless of the rebuild.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Our handicap is less supporters for the situation, but the club decided it. It is something to improve us for the future,&#8221; said the Spaniard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;We must try to be together and without 7,000 supporters we must push everyone. We must play better football, compete better, be more focused. Those are more important than the stand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;We are realistic with how we are working, improving. The things are not [good] enough yet, a lot of conversations with the team, meetings, video, practising and each match trying to show and improve.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Villa, though, have lost just once at home in Europe under Emery &#8211; against Olympiacos in the Europa Conference League semi final in 2024 &#8211; and he ended their wait for silverware by lifting the Europa League in May.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Over the last few years our home form has been amazing, especially in Europe,&#8221; said defender Matty Cash. &#8220;We need to get back to that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to sound like I am making excuses, because obviously we have to deal with the circumstances and it is really good to make the stand bigger and the stadium bigger, but it is obviously different. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I am not going to sit here and lie and say it isn&#8217;t but you have to deal with the circumstances. You can&#8217;t make excuses. You have to play what is in front of you. When it is done it will be amazing but yeah, at the moment it is a bit different.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"subheadline\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-usmnse-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"subheadline\">\n<h2 id=\"From-invincible-to-insecure-\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"ssrcss-1sc9t00-Heading e10rt3ze0\"><span role=\"text\">From invincible to insecure <\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Champions Arsenal and Forest have already claimed three points at Villa Park this season, with unbeaten Brentford taking a point.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Nicolas Jackson&#8217;s equalising goal against the Bees was the first Villa had scored in front of the skeleton that was their North Stand this season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Yet Villa&#8217;s home struggles are not new. Since the turn of the year they have lost the aura of invincibility which Emery has brought since his arrival almost four years ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Between November 2022 and January 2026, they lost just eight of 61 home Premier League games, winning 44 of them. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">That included 15 straight wins between March 2023 and December 2023. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">They also went 12 months unbeaten in the top flight between August 2024 and August 2025, but since the turn of the year Villa have been fragile at home in comparison.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Defeats by Everton, Brentford, Chelsea and Tottenham threatened their top-four place last season, with Villa needing late goals to earn a draw against Leeds and claim victories against Brighton and Sunderland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">That has continued this season with Villa Park&#8217;s capacity down to around 37,000 in the void left by the North Stand, something Brentford boss Keith Andrews picked up on, saying he hated playing when one stand was missing. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Villa could still make light of it in Europe, though, with Viking also travelling to Birmingham in the league phase on 21 October.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">After an opening win at Club Brugge, successive victories would put them on course for qualification before November, despite their home issues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;It is a massive test against a good team but we need to be winning these games,&#8221; added Cash. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;That is the bar we have set for ourselves. Hopefully we can make it loud &#8211; three-stand loud.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"topicList\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-tcr9z1-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"topic-list\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nj9heb-StyledTagContainer ed0g1kj1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1pfbb52-TopicListHeaderWrapper etw6iwl0\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-89o2pv-Heading e10rt3ze0\">Related topics<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-17ehax8-Cluster e1ihwmse1\">\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-w8zanw-ClusterItems e1ihwmse0\">\n<li>Aston Villa<\/li>\n<li>Football<\/li>\n<li>UEFA Champions League<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"promoList\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-tcr9z1-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-89o2pv-Heading e10rt3ze0\">More on this story<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"ssrcss-1ughxsy-List e880cno1\">\n<li>\n<div data-testid=\"promo\" class=\"ssrcss-ccqz3i-Promo e1vyq2e80\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1u1fh10-PromoSwitchLayoutAtBreakpoints et5qctl0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-wg79iw-PromoContent exn3ah912\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l0lt4o-Stack e1y4nx260\"><span role=\"text\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-6bmydz-PromoHeadline exn3ah99\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Brentford maintain unbeaten run with draw at Villa<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-z60stg-PromoImageContainer en81kx34\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-17h6w1t-PromoImageContainerInner en81kx32\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-fec6qv-ImageWrapper en81kx33\"><span class=\"ssrcss-4s8d4d-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/f160\/live\/03f8d7f0-c4c4-11f1-9ce9-55293bd7f0d9.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/f160\/live\/03f8d7f0-c4c4-11f1-9ce9-55293bd7f0d9.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/f160\/live\/03f8d7f0-c4c4-11f1-9ce9-55293bd7f0d9.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/f160\/live\/03f8d7f0-c4c4-11f1-9ce9-55293bd7f0d9.jpg.webp 624w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport\/football\/articles\/cx054n684g7do&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/branded_sport\/1200\/cpsprodpb\/1e4f\/live\/5fa81060-c6eb-11f1-bc1b-8dfa7c975faa.jpg&#8221;] &#8216;No excuses&#8217; &#8211; but is Villa&#8217;s stadium rebuild affecting team? Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Aston Villa&#8217;s rebuild of the North Stand is due to be completed next year By Nick Mashiter Football reporter Published 2 hours ago &#8220;No excuses,&#8221; said Unai Emery. The Aston Villa head coach was talking about his [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[35,226],"class_list":["post-2197474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-bbc-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2197474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197474\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2197474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2197474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2197474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}