Aston Villa vs. Manchester City: Key Issues That Will Shape EPL Tilt

When the 2014-15 Premier League fixture list came out, Manchester City supporters probably saw this match at Villa Park as a likely win.

Aston Villa waited until fairly late on in the 2013-14 season to secure their place in the Premier League for another year. Little more than a speed bump for City in May, the Villans lost at the Etihad by a 4-0 scoreline that actually flattered Paul Lambert's side.

Of course, Villa were much feistier earlier in the season, but more on that in a minute.

Here are five issues that will shape Manchester City's upcoming visit to Villa Park. 

That Last Trip to Villa Park

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What a moment for Weimann.

The last time City traveled to Villa Park in Premier League play, they left with unhappy memories.

City lost five matches away from the Etihad last season. Defeats away to Chelsea and Liverpool were certainly no disgrace, while losing at Sunderland has become something of a fixed cost for City in recent years.

The defeat at Cardiff City, on the other hand, was a disgrace. However, the Bluebirds at least had the decency to be relegated thereafter.

City lost quite pitifully at Villa Park last season, too, in a match that featured another Joe Hart gaffe that turned a suitable road draw into a regrettable road loss.

As City have shown with their Stadium of Light troubles, road venues can become bogey grounds with very little warning. City will be looking to exorcise some demons from last season in this match. 

Demichelis or Mangala?

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Mangala's bad day at Hull City has his status up in the air.

City supporters surely thought that the Sky Blues' acquisition of Eliaquim Mangala meant that the days of watching Martin Demichelis fight a losing war against the ravages of time were over.

Think again.

Mangala played one great match against Chelsea. Then he played a bad match against Hull City and was dropped for a Champions League match against Roma in favor of Demichelis.

You are not going to believe this, but Demichelis was slow to recover on more than one occasion against Roma. Most notably, he was two steps too late to cut Francesco Totti's equalizer out.

I would recognize Demichelis' form sliding into his own goal after the ball goes in any time.

Mangala should play in this match, but it is really hard to say what Manuel Pellegrini is thinking these days. 

4-4-2 or 4-5-1?

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Aguero can score from any formation as long as they get him the ball.

Manuel Pellegrini's affection for a two-striker formation is beginning to look desperate and clingy.

No less an authority than The Telegraph's Henry Winter hit Pellegrini with both barrels after the team's setup was rent asunder by Roma in Champions League play this week:

"

Pellegrini’s tactics were far too open, leaving them over-run in midfield, and forcing the City manager into running repairs to the team because of 'the stress they were under' according to Roma’s charismatic coach, Rudi Garcia.The stress was brought on by Pellegrini’s decision to go 4-4-2 against sophisticated, hard-working Serie A opponents who controlled midfield. 

"

Even at home, Aston Villa are nothing like Roma from a talent standpoint. However, City were home to Roma and still got worked over.

Pellegrini might need to consider playing a one-striker system in Champions League play, and if he is going to do that, he needs to let his team get some work in with that sort of formation in matches that do not carry the same pressure.

This match at Villa Park would qualify.

Who am I kidding, though? Pellegrini is going to start both Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko because he can. 

Hart or Caballero?

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Pellegrini and Hart are not always seeing eye to eye in recent days.

"Manchester City goalkeepers are playing for their places by the game at the moment," observed Dan Ripley for the Daily Mail while City were drawing with Roma.

He is absolutely right, which makes his throwaway line rendered in the course of a live blog even more disturbing to City supporters.

When Joe Hart struggled last season and lost his place to Costel Pantilimon, no one believed that Pantilimon could actually keep the job from Hart for long.

Indeed, he didn't.

Willy Caballero is a better player than Pantilimon, but is he better than Hart? If he is not, what exactly was the impetus to bring Caballero in at all?

Manuel Pellegrini now has two goalkeepers to choose from every match, and in the past he has indicated that even he might not know who will play on a given day.

"We'll see game by game. One hour and 15 minutes before kick-off you will know which goalkeeper starts," Pellegrini said a couple of weeks back, per Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail.

Is this any way to run a defending Premier League champion side? That's a serious question that deserves a serious answer. 

Turn the Page

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Aguero and his teammates are happy to see September's calendar page in the trash bin.

September was a pretty rough month for Manchester City. They won only two matches, and one of them was a home Capital One Cup thumping of Sheffield Wednesday that City's U21 side might have pulled out.

Otherwise City were the epitome of the unsuccessful club that draws at home and loses away against tough competition. They need to string some wins together, starting with Aston Villa.

Thanks to the second international break, City's October slate holds only five matches. They will be favored to win all of them.

However, the Citizens cannot win them all if they do not win this first one.