Villa’s summer tour in America came to a close with another 3-3 draw, this time against Brentford. Good game for the neutrals, and a lot of hard minutes out there. The conditions have been tough, so as far as the ‘it’s all about fitness’ view goes, they’ve sweated off a lot of whatever extra they might have been carrying. And no one’s seemed to suffer any ill effects.
So, three PL-level games and five points out of nine against Newcastle, Fulham and Brentford. Not the worst return from training, though we could’ve won them all, and Emery seems upbeat about it all.
Tactics
Naturally, the biggest thing Emery was looking at was the back line, and varying combinations of three CBs and a fullback. When Digne was in, we saw him doing the attacking width thing. Digne out and Cash in, then Cash was driving forward and obviously netted once.
So, perhaps that was just rotation and needs must, but may well be the case that Emery wants to expand from the more predictable roles we saw the from the FBs, and be able to play the attacking FB from either side rather than predominantly down the left.
The CBs, of course, had varying roles as a result. When you have a left FB in, Konsa played more as a RB. You have a RB in, then Torres or Mings was covering a lot more of the LB responsibility. Overall, Emery had Carlos central, which could be down to a number of things…fitness, not overrunning and stretching out wide as he continues his return, or simply not being suited to playing wide. But he had some covering to do when he replaced Konsa before Chambers came in for Cash.
At the end of the day, all of it was maybe not terribly different idea-wise to having a RB stay home and tuck in like a third CB. But, it was three CBs and a back three going forward, and we saw it loaded to different sides.
Overall, apart from the back, the structure up top didn’t really change much, but different players in different spots bring different qualities. McGinn is perhaps a more effective playmaker in that ’second striker’ role to the right than Buendia is, and maybe only down to left and right-footedness.
But it really is an interesting structure with lots of fluidity. It’s harder to pin down traditional roles than in other setups, and a lot depends on the different qualities given players bring to it.
Performances
Individually, Jaden Philogene (and I need help here, because he apparently dropped the ‘Bidace’, yet it’s still on his shirt) got his opportunity and took it. He won’t be going out on loan for at least the first half of season. McGinn got time playing further up, and did it well. Diaby has certainly taken his chances, so at least he seems to know where the goal is. Tielemans has looked quality, very composed and effective.
Bailey again couldn’t seem to catch fire. Me, I’d be more likely to use Jaden in his place. Ramsey’s return obviously changes things up, so I’m guessing we could see Jaden either side as we did in these three games.
The rest? Not terribly different than what we’ve come to expect. Which is good. There were very effective minutes with Buendia, particularly on the left coming inside. Played right and higher up, less so. Phil didn’t rack up big minutes, in the end, and didn’t really do much with the time he had. Dougie was Dougie. Kamara had a couple mental slips. Cash did pretty well going forward, still a bit of a liability defensively. Digne seemed like Digne.
The starting lineup against Brentford also looked fairly close to what I might expect as a preferred XI. But I think we’ll see more variations in personnel, depending on opponents, than we did last season.
Final Thoughts
Anyway, all in all a very useful trip. Good competition and no catching anyone by surprise. Think that will really help keep their minds focused, and much better than going through the motions to beat an MLS side 2-0. Will also help Diaby and Torres have a better idea what’s coming.
I was encouraged by the way we opened Newcastle up, and Brentford, too, when we were in full flow. This team can be very dangerous, and the best moves happen quickly. We also left a few chances begging. I expect it will all tighten up come kickoff on opening day.
Are we deep enough yet, is the only real question I have. Don’t think any of the youngsters played badly, though Archer was having some trouble getting into games. As always with strikers, not entirely his fault, and he’s got some learning to do to fit into the set-up. But from what I’ve seen so far, I think we can probably rotate our way through early-round games without relying too heavily on all of the starting XI. And there are now a couple more options in each area. Philogene, naturally, is the one with the biggest chance to step up.
So roll on, Lazio, and over to you.
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John Clark
John is co-owner of AVL, and has followed the Villa since the '70s. A journalist by trade, he is, by most accounts, a very nice person. You can follow me on Twitter @JClarkKohoutek. It's an astonishing experience. Or a complete waste of time.Comments 30
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That’s a good summation of the US tour JC. We do indeed now look like a comprehensive unit and we were lethal in some periods of play.
The last 2 warm up games are close together and against continental opposition ahead of our UEFA Conference draw on 7th Aug. I expect the full squad will get equal game time across the 2 games so that we are not over trained for the Newcastle game.
One other bonus from the US tour apart from the financial improvements was the lack of injuries. Hope I haven’t put the mockers on it for the final warm up matches.
Oh dear, Plug. Now you’ve done it.
But yeah, was a solid series of games and it’s good to face more quality with different styles up next, and as you say, with the Conference coming up, these are valuable in their own right.
Same time, Brentford and Fulham aren’t necessarily sexy, but I think they got it right with PL opponents, and we were largely better than Newcastle again.
Apart from the apex predators at the top of the European leagues, you won’t get tougher preseason matches. And the fact Emery was experimenting with the side and still got results is encouraging. Shame we didn’t get Chelsea, would’ve liked to turn them over, but I think Brentford and Fulham were perfect opportunities to introduce things against the exact level of competition where Villa need to be consistent to stay in contention for 7th or higher.
And I say ‘experimenting with the side’, but I really mean making some fundamental tactical changes that weren’t unduly punished despite Torres and Carlos being completely alien to each other.
It was sluggish at times, like the first half against Fulham, but overall, really valuable. Having four quality CBs with different strengths may well be an ace up the sleeve, allowing us to keep playing out and match up better.
Should make us less predictable to prepare for.
Arf, arf, arf, arf.
“birmingham city is an iconic club with so much history and passion”. So says Tom Brady of NFL fame who’s bought a minority stake in small heath. Fucking hell…..can’t stop laughing at that statement. He’s obviously never been anywhere near small heath or its “training facilities”.
Arf, arf, arf, arf.
Hi Plug, don’t forget Tom is a master investor, he only lost a reported $15,000,000 on imaginary money called Bit Coin, so it must be a wise investment LOL
The links to Tyler Adams keep coming. . . . but not just for Villa. He’s also been linked with Chelsea, West Ham and Forest (and probably some others too.)
Few of us will ever be in the enviable position of having a queue of potential employers lining up for us so it’s hard to imagine what it must feel like, particularly for a young footballer in this position. I’m not saying I feel sorry for them having such difficult choices to make but it’s still a big decision to commit the next 3-5 years of your life to a club, a manager and a part of the world you may never even have visited before.
Would you go to Chelsea who are currently viewed as a big club, or Villa, who are in Europe and on the up, or a lesser team where you should at least be guaranteed regular football?
This is likely to be especially important to a player in the early stages of his career as it may set him up or set him right back for the rest of his life.
Thinking back to Chukwuemeka’s decision to move to Chelsea, you could see why he moved, but it almost certainly held him back last year and if Pochettino doesn’t have him in his plans it could change the whole course of his playing career and life.
Canadian….and he had a chance of profiting on Bitcoin. He’s got no chance at small heath.
R0bBO, I don’t think we’ll go for Tyler Adams now that we have Diaby. We also have Bidace. If he came, who would he be competing with for a start up place?
I guess Chuk was happy to just collect his £150K/week for the length of his contract (or at least his father was) regardless of whether he plays or not. I see the London media have Chelsea finishing 5th this coming season. Not with Chuk in the side methinks.
Ahhh, Plug, ripping Brady a new asshole made my day. Can’t stand him.
r0bb0,
Adams is interesting…I’m guessing it’s simply about quality in depth in midfield, and a player with a high work-rate and decent experience (Leipzig, Leeds, USMNT).
His injury history does concern me a little bit.
Overall, yeah, it’s tough for younger players to make a good choice. You need good advisors and a clear sense of what you’re wanting to accomplish. Will probably be the most important decision of his playing career, at this stage of it.
Like you say, is it starting every game or being in a squad at a bigger club? Is it being somewhere ‘famous’, is it the money?
If you know you’d start for a big club, play CL, and get good money, it’s a much easier decision. But there’s the manager, the atmosphere within the club, style of play…Lots to consider.
Even when older, did it really make sense to Ings, for example, to come to Villa when the club played the way they did at the time?
Guessing for him it was the payday as much as anything else. And maybe at that point in his career he was happy not to be out there for every minute. Maybe he thought he’d take the job off Ollie. But he had to know he wasn’t suited to that role.
I think it matters if you know someone at the club who says good things, gives you insight. Gut reaction to and feeling about a manager when they make contact should also factor. How wanted do you feel, personally, by the manager, and what’s he telling you (or not).
Brady might be the GOAT at QB, but he doesn’t seem too clever off the field. Can’t imagine anyone with sense buying into that shambles.
Plug, yeah you’re probably right. . . . it’s not an area we’re short of options. . . . although. . . Emery seems to like a ‘type’ of player and to some extent, then helps them to adapt to playing where he thinks they can be of most use.
JC, yes, all those factors can come into play. With Chuk, there was always the suspicion that it’s what his Dad wanted for him too!
JC, as you hinted with Ings, there’s also the level of confidence/arrogance of the player.
Did Ings think he’d supplant Ollie. . . .did Chuk thing he’d be a regular foe Chelsea.
There would have been a lot of wishful thinking with both of those.
r0bb0,
Always that fine line…you need self-belief, arrogance even, but it can bite you in the ass if you don’t have realistic people around you (that you actually listen to).
And yeah, Chuk’s dad might have been much more concerned about the money, and may well have overestimated Chuk’s ability/readiness to make an impact at a place like Chelsea.
Could come good after being around the set-up long enough, though. You never know.
A comfortable 3-0 win tonight against Lazio. We might have scored 6.
To put things in perspective, Serie-A kicks off on 21st August so their pre season is behind ours a little. However, the Spanish League kicks of at the same time as our EPL so the test against Valencia on Sat will give us a better idea of the state of play.
Got a bit chippy there in the 2nd half, Plug.
Don’t think Lazio were happy with how much we bossed the game. Like you say, could easily have been 6,7. Thinking Olsen only had one real save to make (but I was distracted 2nd half).
Some loose play from Villa at times, but after a sluggish start, we started playing some nice stuff. Looks like Emery’s rather fond of Tielemans, and I can see why. Sort of seems like he’s effortlessly in the middle of everything.
Hi Folks, I’ve enjoyed the pre-season with Villa looking like they haven’t finished from last season we look so in tune and fit. We look much more dangerous from every position attacking with a bit more work to do at the back. Teams know the high line is there and try to exploit that, pre-season we are not going to bust a gut either though and partnerships have to be formed.
Like the switch from left to right attacking FB option, games may require that switch if there FB is on top attack the other side. Midfield once a weakness now looks brimming with talent and options. With Bidace we now have Diaby, Watkins, Archer, Bailey to call on in attack. Bailey can play right wing and Diaby central, in fact so many of our players are multi positional its hard to pin them down. They can drop in and support one another with apparent ease. We don’t really have a centre forward that I’d say is just that. We also have several notable injured players in the Ramseys, Moreno, Traore and Jhon Duran? remember him? from scraping around to spoilt for choice it seems.
The one trait we seem to have developed is the individual players ability to keep the ball in a tight spot especially the mids. Countless times I’ve watched them wriggle free in midfield, Kamara has been caught out but in his position its more noticeable.
I hope Watkins can improve that aspect of his game further.
Lazio finished 2nd in Seria A, yep maybe a bit behind us in prep but they are quality and got more than a little testy at being ripped a new one, not only that the players are playing with a smile while doing it, they know we are good enough to bother any team and are not afraid and want in the team. Lazio haven’t lost a pre-season game yet and had played three games and have been known lately for keeping clean sheets. We however lined up both halves with two completely new teams and it changed not one bit in how we dismantled them, You could of been mistaken that we played the 1st 11 in both halves.
I am massively pleased that what really started under Dean Smith and remains mostly his team have turned out to not be transitional but the real deal. Equally pleased that the youth team that we have placed emphasis on since Smiths arrival and revamped have come of age just at the right time. Smiths team have come of age themselves and with the additions provide a real platform for the youth to come in and shine and learn, and there is real competition where there was none and no playing out of position. They youth are no longer needed to provide miracles either to save our season.
Injuries will be a deciding factor but I think we have enough to rotate and not fall apart, going to be an exciting season.
Villa coasted home at the Mestalla. After 65 minutes it was men and boys. The second goal was made in South America. It’s a statement win when you get it in La Liga away from home.
The substitutions tonight made us even stronger. The opposition was reduced to fouling, shirt pulling and any other method to stop us. As Mark says above, the signs are better than for many a year. I now have to wait patiently for next Sat. We can get something at the Wai Ayes. It ain’t going to be 4-0 like last season.
Wow,a super preseason
Emery has his work cut out picking his best side for opener, for me it’s
Martinez
Cash digne mings konsa
Kamara Luiz
Mcginn tielmens
Diaby Watkins
With an impressive sub bench to pick from
James, you picked Digne. I’m of a mind to keep him in the squad. He’s a good one. Moreno is hurt and we’ve heard nothing lately. I wonder if his injury is more than what we’ve been told. At 30 things don’t heal as well as when you’re 20.
Gerard just might have done us a favour with Digne.
Ian
I am a fan of square pegs in square holes unlike Gerrard and Bruce
We have now midfielders to match all bar maybe city which gives us a solid base
Torres needs a bit of time to settle and going to geordie land will need all our experienced lads
JG,
I can’t see Unai playing 4 at the back. It would go against preseason. I think it will be
Konsa, Carlos, Mings, Digne
Other option is
Cash, Konsa, Mings, Pau
I also think he’ll play Buendia or Philogene instead of Tielemans
Couldn’t watch Villa yesterday, so just watched now.
Must have been so hot. Jerseys soaked and players dripping after 10 mins. I wonder why Villa didn’t have a jersey sponsor?
Thought Bailey is still miles off the pace. He was unbelievably poor. Also thought Pau and Diaby were poor. Pau kept kicking bad passes. Digne will definitely start vs Toon.
Luiz looks better all the time. He must be worth at least £80m
Villamd
Don’t think emery will go with my team either to be honest,
Was in the funny position yesterday of watching utd at aviva in Dublin I which they totally shat over irish fans,sold out game at average 60euro ticket with first team squad advertised match then arranged match previous day in which haig played entire first team squad a d only sent maguire bisaka,sancho Ericsson van beek and lundefm ,poor show
Maguire made another howler for goal and got booed for rest of match
Typical utd equaliser after injury time was up
That williamslad we were heavily linked played first half ,scored but not much else,definitely happier so far with diaby
Had to watch the replay myself, VillaMD, and late at night. So, not the most analytic of experiences.
Agree on Bailey. I’ve wanted him to catch on, there’s a flash here and there, but overall, just hard to tell why we’d have bought him. Guessing a lot of it’s psychological…zero confidence, the injuries, but his first touch and decision-making just aren’t there.
Torres had a lot of loose passes straight to Valencia. Not a great night for him. Diaby was barely involved.
Overall, sort of seemed to be the plan from Valencia. They weren’t as interested in high pressing, everything was contested in the middle. Not a lot of flowing football.
And yes, looked very hot. Following the match Thursday night, thought we looked a bit leggy on top. Five matches in two weeks, that’s a fair amount of football.
UEFA Conference League draw.
Villa v Hibernian or Lucerne. First leg in either Scotland or Switzerland.
I know people are having fun with the potential McGinn derby, but I’d imagine a trip to Lucerne would feel a bit more European.
New page up, but feel free of course to wrap up anything here.