Who’d have thought it? Playing with two up-front, two wingers, and the goals start flowing. First half Villa were a lot better and looked completely in control. What McLeish will be needing to do is improve is confidence as Villa are clearly in need of a boost when it comes to winning ways. All that aside though, it was good to get an away win on the board, the first of our season.
Match Analysis
It was local lad Marc Albrighton who managed to put Villa on the scoresheet with his first goal of the season. Here was a player who is clearly dependent on confidence, and a goal and a solid set of crossing chances today will have helped no end.
Petrov chipped in with another long range effort. People can say what they like about Stan after mid-week comments regarding his childhood supporting habits, but the Villa captain pulls top quality goals out of the bag every so often. His legs may not be what they used to be, but it’s clear that the talent is far from gone.
From the start of the game, both teams posed attacking line-ups, with Bolton starting Tuncay, and Villa adopting a more attacking 4-4-2 formation.
The desire to win was evident for both teams, with Bolton losing every game this season bar three, and Villa having only one victory in seven. Many had suggested the game was an easy prediction as a draw, but it was clear that both managers wanted more. For Villa’s sake, it was good to see McLeish come away with all the points.
Gary Cahill actually came to the assistance of Villa, as opposed to haunting the club like many former players, and it was a deflection off him that meant Villa’s second goal.
Villa’s play was adventurous and it paid off. Bolton were backing off and giving Villa far too much space – a common criticism of McLeish’s team in many recent games since his appointment at Villa. How Villa will fare against sterner tests later this month will be something fans will be looking at in earnest.
The second half drew more effort from Bolton, with Coyle’s half time team talk clearly inspiring the North West team with excellent work from Tuncay and Klasnic combining to supply winger Chris Eagles. Brad Guzan was a match for the football wizardry though with a great save to deny the Hertfordshire-born player.
Bolton’s continued efforts led to a break-through with Klasnic following up after a tame effort from former Villan Zat Knight.
Cahill managed to redeem himself after contributing to Petrov’s second by blocking a Darren Bent shot to deny Villa a third.
Bolton continued to press for a second, and Mark Davies may well be ruing the fact that his shot from the edge of the box went well over the bar.
But it was to be Villa’s day. As Bolton’s energy started to wear off following Coyle’s passionate plea for more effort, Villa played out the later stages of the game at a steady pace, with a late chance coming from Albrighton only to be denied by Jussi Jaaskelainen in injury time.
Turvey’s Thought
It was a game that demanded three points and one where three points came back. Villa played well by recent standards, and offered significantly more in terms of effort, possession, and overall quality. The use of N’Zogbia and Albrighton in wide positions posed constant attacking threats against Bolton and, whilst Bolton are certainly low on confidence as a counter-view, I would still continue to deploy the pair in a 4-4-2 going forwards.
The remainder of the month offers a series of challenges for McLeish’s men. The result today may be enough to instill confidence, and N’Zogbia in particular was showing far more of the talent that secured him his £9.5m move from Wigan.
Can Villa keep the momentum going forwards? We will find out shortly, but with that kind of effort and result, McLeish may be making a small step towards placating frustrated fans who have suffered over the past 18 months.
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