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Aston Villa have endured a torrid start to the season judging by the Championship table.

But those of us who have watched Roberto Di Matteo's side on a regular basis appreciate just how close they have been to getting it right.

There are lots of negative stats out there and it would be stupid to ignore them, but there are also some very intriguing ones which I certainly didn't expect to come across.

We all know Di Matteo possesses a team that all other managers in the division can be envious of, but for some reason or another, they aren't getting the points at present.

But it's certainly not through a lack of quality...

Goals - 8

You will probably find yourself saying 'How is that impressive? Barnsley have already scored 19'. But what you are missing is the fact that Villa have carved open the opposition for every one of their goals.

All of Villa's goals have come from open play. While Barnsley have still managed three more goals in that category than Villa, there are only four other teams to have scored more without the use of set pieces.

Newcastle United have scored nine of their 15 goals thus far from set pieces, which is something to look out for when the two teams clash on Saturday. The game will pit two contrasting styles against each other.

Chances created - 95

The claret and blues have created more chances than any other team in the Championship this season. This stat further highlights how wasteful they have been in front of goal, but the opportunities are coming.

Di Matteo will be hoping that his costly strike force will start finding the net regularly with them soon.

Long balls per game - 69

That number might seem a little excessive, but only Fulham (67) have played less long balls than Villa this season.

Surprisingly, Villa don't feature very highly in terms of short passes per game (321) which might suggest that the club is operating with individuals in attacking areas who are more comfortable dribbling with the ball.

And that theory is backed up by the team averaging nine dribbles per game. Only a handful of their rivals tend to have more in 90 minutes.

What type of passes are Villa tending to use (per game)? WhoScored

Shots per game - 14.3

We've already discovered that the lack of goals isn't down to chance creation, it is down to a poor conversion rate.

Villa are having around 14 shots per game, but only four of them are hitting the target and working the goalkeeper.

When you think back to some of the gilt-edged chances that have been squandered in recent weeks, most of them haven't even hit the target.

Ross McCormack hitting the post from two yards against Brentford? Jonathan Kodjia miscuing the side-foot volley in the same game?

Villa paid a lot of money to acquire the right personnel to finish these chances, the forwards need to start delivering.

Possession - 51%

Teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid can average 70-80% possession each week, but the Championship is a fiercely competitive league between very evenly matched teams.

All of the so-called big boys feature towards the top of the list.

The big difference between Villa and the other names on that list is that they are all sitting high up in the table.

Tackles per game - 17.4

Only Brighton, Birmingham City, Burton Albion, Huddersfield and Nottingham Forest have made more tackles than Villa.

This doesn't show off their footballing prowess, but what it does do, is prove that they aren't a soft touch.

They have also had the most yellow cards in the division with 26 in their eight matches so far and average 13 fouls per game, with just Newcastle and Wigan seemingly more physical.

Interceptions - 17.4

Di Matteo's side seem to be reading the game well and have made more interceptions than all of their Championship rivals bar Ipswich and Burton.