Reviews of Aston Villa matches, both competitive and non-competitive
Following Dean Smith’s first full week of training with the Villa squad, Bolton came to Villa Park Friday night and were sent home on the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline with Jack Grealish and James Chester providing the goals. By Smith’s own admission it was a mediocre performance, but it was a needed three points and clean sheet.
A packed and raucous Villa Park welcomed the Swans on Saturday, and Dean Smith came away with a 1-0 debut win thanks to Tammy Abraham’s 8th-minute header. Let’s get to it.
Tuesday night, Steve Bruce taught all his critics a lesson by following their advice and picking an attacking side and formation. As one might have feared, it ended in victory.
After wobbling through the opening five fixtures to the tune of two wins and three draws, the wheels finally came off for Villa: first in the cup exit to Burton Albion, and then more decisively at Bramall Lane, where Sheffield United notched a comprehensive 4-1 victory.
Well, here we are with another cup tie, and I’m intuiting a general sense of underwhelm among the faithful following the silly result Saturday against Reading. Nonetheless, it’s another opportunity to get a competitive match in, and it seems like we could use it. Maybe a good result will provide a bit of a lift for the side over the break.
