The Talk Villa Newsletter: #4
Villa get back to winning ways at Leicester as our Champions League opponents are revealed in another eventful week...
Right, who’s up for a game of ‘Never have I ever’? I’ll go first. Never have I ever doubted Jhon Duran.
Our Colombian saviour obviously didn’t mean those comments about welcoming interest from other clubs, it was evidently a misunderstanding and poor translation. And as for that infamous West Ham gesture, he was clearly just signalling that he was never going to leave us.
Sure, I may have asked the question as to whether he had played his last game for us, and perhaps even argued in favour of selling him and bringing in a replacement. We’ve all said things we didn’t mean though, love you really Jhon.
After his heroics on the opening weekend, our No.9 was back at it again this past weekend as he helped secure a 2-1 win over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. He’s even convinced our skipper John McGinn…
"I was quite hard on him last season after one of the games in an interview. Just about his attitude and how he can improve that, but in all fairness I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
"I think the coaching staff and players have been pleasantly surprised too about how he has handled it all. He’s an Aston Villa player. He’s trained really well. He has all the attributes to be a world-class striker and we’re seeing glimpses of it now.
"It’s credit to him for being focused. If you come and watch training now, he’s focused and he’s sharp and ready to go. Hopefully, we can see more of that and it’s up to us, as players, to make sure he keeps going in the same vein.
“Maybe the penny has dropped for him. He’ll get his opportunities, chances and his goals and even his attitude off the pitch.
"The way he is around people, around the staff - it has improved a lot - and it’s great to see. We don’t want to see him lose his character, his sense of fun - we don’t want him to lose that - but it’s about doing it at the right times and hopefully he’s found that."
Five key talking points as Villa dig in to seal important win over Leicester City
Villa lack control, but show scrappy side to seal win
Unai Emery often speaks about the importance of control in games, but Villa struggled to consistently maintain it in this encounter.
Perhaps bookings for Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana hampered them and subsequently impacted our ability to impose ourselves on the game more effectively, but as a collective unit, we didn't have control for large periods.
That in turn is something that we will continue to work on. As not only will it invariably lead to us getting positive results on a more consistent basis, but it puts less strain on the players over the course of a gruelling season.
Speaking of strain, there was another injury setback as Leon Bailey limped off after just 16 minutes, while Jaden Philogene missed out with a knock too. It's hoped the break also gives us a chance to recover and regroup.
Lamare Bogarde puts in promising display on Premier League debut
It was somewhat of a surprise decision from Emery to pick Bogarde to start at right-back over Kosta Nedeljkovic, with Matty Cash sidelined by injury.
Nevertheless, the 20-year-old Dutchman showed why he is so highly thought of, as he put in a mature, composed and effective performance in the first half to build on an encouraging pre-season as well as signing a new long-term deal.
Admittedly, after his caution and having been caught out in the lead up to Leicester's goal, he began to struggle in the second half, but it was an important experience for him to build on as it looks as though he could have an key role this season as a depth option.
MORE: Emery shows trust in top Villa prospect who could have important role to play
Youri Tielemans continues to pull the strings in midfield
It was another classy display from the Belgian midfielder, as he controlled tempo and dictated our play in that deeper role next to Amadou ‘Andre’s not even my name mate’ Onana.
His composure, vision and passing range allow him to pull the strings and make us tick, but he puts in a really important shift for the team from a defensive perspective too with his work-rate and ability to maintain our structure in front of the defence.
He will have a fundamental role for us now that Douglas Luiz is gone, and he appears to be relishing in it and playing some of the best football we've seen from him since we signed him.
MORE: Influential Villa figure continues to grow in importance for Emery in pivotal role
Ollie Watkins searching for clinical edge
One of the big hopes going into this game was that Watkins would get on the scoresheet and give himself a crucial confidence boost after his misses against Arsenal.
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to do that as he couldn't convert two big chances in the first half, and his replacement went on to score the all-important winning goal again.
As Emery highlighted in his post-match interview though, the crucial and positive thing is that Watkins is still getting into the right positions and we're creating those chances for him. The goals will come, but for the sake of his confidence and our success this season, it's hoped they return sooner rather than later.
Another superb impact from Jhon Duran
All the talking over the summer is done, and Duran looks like he is integrating and adapting much more effectively to start this season.
He cuts a happier figure in training and off the pitch, and that's now two out of three games in which he's come off the bench and made a winning impact.
The Colombian striker still had a lot to do with the cross stood up to him from Lucas Digne, as he generated power and accuracy to find the back of the net. It's been so refreshing to see him locked in and contributing to the team, and it's hoped he can continue to showcase his quality this season and fulfil his potential.
MORE: Villa ace makes decisive impact again amid ongoing challenge for consistency
🎵 The Championssssss 🎶
The big news this past week was of course a certain draw that took place. After all the anticipation and excitement over who we’d face in what promises to be a momentous season for the club, it’s Wycombe Wanderers away in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
A day later we also found out who we’d be facing in the Champions League, that other competition. And what a draw it was…
Young Boys (A) - September 17
Bayern (H) - October 2
Bologna (H) - October 22
Brugge (A) - November 6
Juventus (H) - November 27
Leipzig (A) - December 10
Monaco (A) - January 21
Celtic (H) - January 29
Marquee home games against Bayern Munich and Juventus stand out, as well as an exciting clash with Celtic at Villa Park, and while every game is going to be a huge test at this level, there are certainly some winnable games on paper in the rest of the schedule too. I can't wait to see us get started.
Other notable news
Transfer window closes
IN: Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen, Cameron Archer, Jaden Philogene, Samuel Iling-Junior, Enzo Barrenechea, Lewis Dobbin, Ross Barkley
OUT: Moussa Diaby, Douglas Luiz, Omari Kellyman, Cameron Archer, Tim Iroegbunam, Morgan Sanson, Calum Chambers, Viljami Sinisalo, Alex Moreno [loan], Samuel Iling-Junior [loan], Philippe Coutinho [loan], Enzo Barrenechea [loan], Leander Dendoncker [loan], Lewis Dobbin [loan], Kaine Kesler-Hayden [loan], Lino Sousa [loan], Filip Marschall [loan].
It was a busy and productive transfer window, and so let's hope we've built a squad capable of progressing after last year.
Villa were arguably one or two more signings away from addressing all of our needs, but there is a sense that we've got a more robust, well-rounded and deeper squad with key players coming back from injury in mind.
It remains somewhat of a gamble, but it’s clear that there is real confidence and trust in Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara, Jacob Ramsey and Emiliano Buendia getting back to their previous levels and being a big influence in the coming months.
Most importantly though, it feels as though we've done the best we could in our circumstances. Director of Football Operations, Damian Vidagany, spoke earlier this month about the limitations imposed by PSR and SCR regulations and their impact on our strategy. If we could have done more and were able to shift more fringe players permanently, we would have.
There’s a big year ahead of us, and with plenty of promising signs early on, there is confidence we’re in a better place with Emery continuing to mould the group into his own.
Villa’s injury curse rears its ugly head again
Matty Cash will be missing for three more weeks after suffering a hamstring injury against Arsenal, while Leon Bailey limped off with the same issue this past weekend as we anxiously await an update on the severity of his setback.
Jaden Philogene was absent this weekend with a minor issue, as was Diego Carlos, and so while we have countless players reporting for international duty this week, it’s hoped that they all come back unscathed.
Further, the next fortnight is hopefully an opportunity for the rest of the squad to recover and regroup, with a huge September ahead of us across multiple fronts.
There was better news though, with Tyrone Mings back participating in group training, with Boubacar Kamara not far behind him.
Thoughts on Jhon Duran, Villa’s win at Leicester, our Champions League draw, the strength of our transfer window or anything Villa related? Leave a comment below and we’ll share in the following week’s mailbag feature.
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