The Talk Villa Newsletter: #7
Europe awaits for Emery's Villa, but disappointment after defeat at Liverpool ahead of the international break...
Villa suffer defeat at Anfield - the talking points
Most managers will tell us that they can’t wait for the next game after a defeat, as it gives them and the players an immediate opportunity to put things right.
Unai Emery though, isn’t most managers, and while we search for things to do to fill the 13-day void without Villa, the Spaniard will no doubt be locked in at Bodymoor Heath to meticulously dissect and analyse our performance at Anfield.
An early goal conceded, a key defensive player off injured and missed chances. Sound familiar? It was almost like experiencing our nightmare at Newcastle Utd all over again, and it’s a shame to go into an international break off the back of such a result.
However, it’s a chance now to regroup, work on things to improve and put together a strong run of form starting against Crystal Palace on September 16.
It also gives us time to recover some key players from injury with Alex Moreno and Jacob Ramsey hopefully edging towards a return ahead of a big second half of the month, and there is total confidence that Emery will find the solutions to ensure we go on an important run.
Searching for balance in big away games
Having suffered a big defeat away at Newcastle Utd on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, there is perhaps a key hurdle that Villa still have to overcome on the road against the top sides.
When we don’t have the level of control we strive to obtain in games through possession and tempo, coupled with adversity that we can’t account for at times, we don’t seem to react all too well to that, at the moment.
Further, is the high defensive line always the right approach to have? These are fundamental principles of Emery’s football though and he’ll work to perfect them rather than change it. While we’ve shown we can produce it consistently over 90 minutes against other sides, it’s still a big challenge for us in these crunch showdowns with the top teams.
Clinical edge deserts us
While Liverpool had chances to stretch their lead too, Villa missed key opportunities in both halves that could have potentially changed the complexion of the game.
Jurgen Klopp himself emphasised the importance of Liverpool’s early goal in terms of how that influenced what followed, while it’s also worth mentioning that the Reds boss was nothing but complimentary of Emery and Villa this past week.
Had we been more clinical in this game, we could have not only gone into half-time with an entirely different scenario awaiting us in the second half, but having also missed some great chances straight after the break, we’ll be left to rue what could have been.
Torres under the spotlight
There’s no denying the importance of Pau Torres to the way in which we want to play, as his composure, passing accuracy and calmness in possession help us build out from the back in a measured and effective way.
However, the Spaniard has been caught out in our last two league outings, with question marks being raised over his physicality and decision-making as he looked really vulnerable at Anfield in particular.
Much of it was his own doing given he tried too much in certain situations instead of keeping it simple and taking the safer option, and so this will be a test for him moving forward as it amplifies the blow of losing Tyrone Mings for the season.
Tone-setter McGinn not at his best, Villa follow suit
It’s been said for a while now that when Villa captain John McGinn sets the tone and standard with his performance, the rest of the team follow his example and play to that level.
Ezri Konsa even conceded as much recently, and while our skipper was excellent over the past fortnight, he wasn’t able to have the same level of influence on this game and it unsurprisingly impacted our overall display.
While that’s not to say we’re over-reliant on him and this is a proven theory 100 percent of the time, there is a trend. In turn, he has to find ways of imposing himself better in both phases when it feels as though we’re getting overrun as we continuously lost second balls and 50/50s in midfield. That’s also on Boubacar Kamara in particular to be more influential too.
Zaniolo pushing for bigger role
One of the positives to take from the performance was the impact of Nicolo Zaniolo off the bench, as the 24-year-old Italian international was positive again with his directness, quality in possession and ability to make us tick in the final third.
While he wasn’t necessarily played in his best position in this one, he still looked a threat, and he’s surely now pushing for a bigger role against Palace after the conclusion of the break.
It will be interesting to see where he fits in as Emery likely won’t want to disrupt and break up the Moussa Diaby-Ollie Watkins partnership, but it could need some tinkering to fit Zaniolo in too as he looks capable of playing an important role for us by bringing a different dynamic to our play.
Carabao Cup and Europa Conference League fixtures confirmed
It’s a busy September after the break as Villa will play five games in a fortnight across three different competitions.
Everton await in the third round of the Carabao Cup at Villa Park, with the tie to be played week commencing September 25.
Meanwhile, our group stage fixtures in Europe have also now been confirmed after we completed an 8-0 aggregate win over Hibernian in the play-off round, with some great matches to look forward to as we’ll hopefully advance unscathed.
It was a real joy to be at Villa Park for the first European night in 13 years, and we’ll hopefully have many, many more ahead. Further, perhaps we’ll be speaking about the game as being Omari Kellyman’s full senior debut for the club in the future, as he looks to be a highly-promising young talent.
Villa's Europa Conference League group stage fixture schedule:
September 21 - Legia Warsaw (A) 17:45
October 5 - HŠK Zrinjski (H) 20:00
October 26 - AZ Alkmaar (A) 17:45
November 9 - AZ Alkmaar (H) 20:00
November 30 - Legia Warsaw (H) 20:00
December 14 - HŠK Zrinjski (A) 17:45
Villa team news, transfer round-up
Emiliano Martinez returned from his calf injury on Sunday in what was an important boost for us, despite the eventual outcome of the game.
Emery insisted in his post-match interview that Diego Carlos had not suffered a ‘big injury’, and so there is hope that he’ll be able to recover over the break and be in contention against Palace.
Moreno should be closing in on a comeback after the break too as a return in late August had been touted by the Villa boss earlier this summer, while Ramsey shouldn’t be too far behind him as he was slated to be back after this international break.
Meanwhile, it’s good to see Emiliano Buendia’s spirits are still high, as he posted an update on social media on Sunday confirming that he’s making progress ‘little by little’. Both he and Tyrone Mings have a long road ahead of course, but it’s important that they stick around the group and stay positive.
Villa transfer window analysis
IN: Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres, Moussa Diaby, Nicolo Zaniolo [loan], Clement Lenglet [loan].
OUT: Cameron Archer, Jaden Philogene, Marvelous Nakamba, Keinan Davis, Aaron Ramsey, Ashley Young, Kaine Kesler-Hayden [loan], Louie Barry [loan], Wesley, Morgan Sanson [loan], Lamare Bogarde [loan], Finn Azaz [loan], Seb Revan [loan].
Villa’s transfer window concluded with the addition of Clement Lenglet from Barcelona on a season-long loan move on deadline day, and it was another smart swoop to help fill the void left behind by Mings.
With Emery preferring to play all three of his centre-halves together, it was crucial we added depth, and with Lenglet’s ability to play on the left side of a centre-back partnership, he will hopefully offer a pivotal balance when involved.
Overall though, Villa’s transfer window was a positive one. We added five new players who will hopefully significantly improve us, while balancing the books and offloading players who had no real role to play.
Selling a number of our top young talents was a contentious topic though, but with the insertion of buy-back clauses in those agreements, it’s hoped that they kick on and impress, and perhaps we’ll see them again down the line. After all, it wasn’t a bad start for Cameron Archer this past weekend…
There could yet be one more departure too, as Philippe Coutinho is reported to be on the verge of a loan move to Qatar to join Al Duhail.
While it remains to be seen if we receive a fee for the move, it’s at least hoped that they cover his wages as it’s important Villa clear that off the books for a year at least. With his ongoing injury woes, it seems like the best solution now, although ideally, it would have happened before our transfer deadline so we could have added a replacement.
Talk Villa Poll
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Got a question or feedback on the newsletter? Leave a comment below.
For more Villa content throughout the week, please also check out our website at Talk Villa. UTV! 🟣🔵