Life is good at Aston Villa when it comes to league standings. They are in the top four of the Premier League and are at the top of the Champions League standings.

But looking at Villa’s current position, the concerns are clear.

As both league tables are currently the same, Villa have only played two teams in the Premier League, Arsenal and Fulham, who are both in the top half. Villa’s best win this season was certainly against Bayern Munich, but they currently sit just 23rd in the Champions League standings.

Of course, as mentioned in last week’s article, tougher tests will come in November and you can expect Villa’s level to rise by playing mostly at home this season.

One obvious concern highlighted by Bournemouth’s late equalizer on Saturday is Villa’s weakness down the right flank.

When Ian Maatsen joined in the summer transfer window many Villa fans wished he was a right-footed player. Voted the best left-back in last season’s Champions League, Maatsen has since finished second behind the in-form Lucas Digne.

Fans’ demands to upgrade the right-back on social media over the summer prompted the club’s director of football, Monchi, to conduct interviews to explain the PSR situation and why Villa could not upgrade the position.

It was almost accepted by the club that the right-back situation was far from ideal.

Matty Cash showed carelessness too often with Leon Bailey not offering him much defensive support. Emery seems unconvinced and often opts to play Ezri Konsa as a makeshift right-back, with Diego Carlos slotted in at centre-back.

Fast 18-year-old Kosta Nedeljkovic does not seem ready yet, despite his good performance for Serbia. Meanwhile, Emery abandoned his tryout with Lamare Bogarde in the role.

Whether Emery can resolve the issue before January remains one of the intriguing subplots regarding the team’s potential this season.

Find more from David Michael at: My Old Man Said, external