Lessons Learned from Aston Villa's Win Against Cardiff

Aston Villa's goalless drought came to an end on Saturday as summer signings Leandro Bacuna and Libor Kozak each scored to give the team an uplifting victory ahead of the international break. 

With several regular starters sidelined due to injury, manager Paul Lambert will be glad for the week of recovery and preparation for Villa's next match against local rivals West Bromwich Albion.

Saturday's game demonstrated many of Villa's strengths and weaknesses and Lambert must be mindful of the lessons learned from the hard-fought victory. These are the key takeaways from Aston Villa's win against Cardiff City.

Leandro Bacuna Is Wasted at Right-Back

Leandro Bacuna has taken little time to settle into life at Villa Park. The Dutch player, who started on Saturday at right-back, converted his second free kick of the season to break the deadlock. 

Not only did Bacuna score on the set piece, but he also made the surging run that drew the foul to earn the free kick in the first place. This run occurred immediately after Bacuna had been shifted forward into the midfield as Matthew Lowton was introduced at right-back.

This mid-game tactical adjustment should become the norm with Bacuna more involved in the offense by playing him in a midfield position rather than at right-back.

As previously discussed, Bacuna is confident and aggressive in possession in a manner that teammates Ashley Westwood, Karim El Ahmadi and Yacouba Sylla are not. Bacuna, alongside Fabian Delph, would be better served bursting forward in the midfield where he can more positively and frequently influence attacking moves.

Matthew Lowton's early struggles saw him dropped for a period of time, but his ability to intercept passes and his consistent crossing from overlapping runs could be a vital asset. His involvement in Villa's second goal shows part of his benefit to the team, and he is more than capable of reclaiming his old position at right-back.

Starting Bacuna in midfield would greatly improve the team's attacking fluidity without compromising the improved defense and is a change that Lambert should implement immediately.

A Kozak-Benteke Partnership Cannot Be Discounted

Injuries have continued to be a nag for Paul Lambert as Aston Villa's manager. Last season the manager was without many of his crucial players due to fitness struggles, and this season has been similar.

The manager's preferred attacking trio last season of Gabby Agbonlahor, Christian Benteke and Andreas Weimann has all struggled to stay fit this year, preventing the threesome from re-establishing the cohesion they demonstrated towards the end of last season.

Although Libor Kozak's performances thus far have been mostly uninspiring, the Czech striker had his best outing in a Villa shirt on Saturday, netting Villa's second goal with a well-placed header.

Prior to this game, Kozak struggled to get in dangerous positions and his hold-up play left much to be desired. Against Cardiff, however, Kozak demonstrated a better understanding with his teammates and was more threatening than in prior games, coming close to opening the scoring with an earlier header before eventually scoring Villa's second goal.

Benteke, who failed to forge a strong partnership when playing alongside Darren Bent last season, could benefit from having another tall and strong forward to physically fluster opponents. This could be particularly potent if Villa's crossing can improve and provide service to the giant strikers.

It is difficult to tell which forwards Lambert will favor when all of them are healthy to choose from. But Kozak's improved performance on Saturday has kept him in the manager's thoughts.  

Aleksandar Tonev Must Learn Composure

Aleksandar Tonev arrived at Villa Park with a reputation as a tricky and skilled winger who seemed a sensible signing for a side severely lacking in width.

In his eight appearances for the club, however, Tonev has failed to prove his worth or demonstrate the qualities that led Lambert to sign him during the summer transfer window.

His mistakes on Saturday were extremely predictable for any Villa fan who has watched him this season. Tonev was careless with the ball, squandered fine attacking situations with wild shooting, made poor tackles and generally failed to create chances for his strikers to convert.

According to WhoScored.com, the Bulgarian has not completed a single cross for Villa and has the lowest average rating of any Villa player to have started a game. 

Lambert's team desperately needs players with creativity and crossing ability, the attributes Tonev was purchased to provide, yet has failed to display. Tonev must improve in these areas and demonstrate composure and consistency on the pitch if he hopes to have a successful career at Villa Park.

Villa's Defense Continues to Improve

One of the prevailing stories of Lambert's debut season as Villa's manager was his team's porous defense that had the league's third-worst defense and went 26 games without a clean sheet.

Improving the defense was among Lambert's top priorities this summer and through 11 games it is clear that great strides have been made in strengthening this weakness.

Villa's last five matches particularly highlight this defensive improvement. During this time period Villa have kept three clean sheets while showing strong defensive organization for the majority of these matches, even in their losses to Tottenham and Everton.

Ron Vlaar and Ciaran Clark, in particular, have impressed with each man improving significantly. 

Vlaar has been at his no-nonsense best. The Dutchman physically overpowers strikers and has drastically reduced the errors made due to poor decision making. In addition, Vlaar has a keen understanding of when to play the ball out of danger and when a simple clearance is best.

Clark has been similarly impressive, performing admirably as an emergency left-back against Cardiff. The Irish defender has greatly improved his positioning and reactions, enabling him to consistently clear the danger and avoiding the rash challenges he used to make.

Alongside the rest of the back four, as well as the commanding Brad Guzan, Vlaar and Clark have worked hard to improve the previously dismal Villa defense.

Villa Can Win Without Possession

One of the most striking takeaways from Saturday's match was the continuation of Villa's willingness to concede possession, especially playing at home against a newly promoted team such as Cardiff.

Nonetheless, Lambert was willing to do just that, and he has frequently demonstrated that his side can go against the conventional wisdom that more possession is always better.

In Saturday's match, Villa held just 43 percent of total possession. Despite this, Villa managed twice as many total shots as Cardiff and three times as many shots on target as the Welsh team. With less time on the ball, Villa generated more and better opportunities than their opponent.

Prior performances by Villa this season are in line with these numbers. Villa's average of 41.9 percent of possession is the second-lowest in the Premier League. 

Lambert has adapted well to his players' strengths, capitalizing on the aerial prowess and speed of many of his players to generate quick attacks that involve fewer passes and less time with the ball.

While the fans may be understandably deflated watching their team absorb constant pressure at Villa Park, Lambert's tactics continue to succeed.