Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest closed out a satisfying and impressive week for Villa, having also dispatched Brighton and progressing to the FA Cup semifinals. One week, three matches, three victories, with the last being the hardest of the lot. The difficulty now goes up another level with PSG away.
Villa rescued a point at the Emirates Saturday evening in match that looked to be beyond redemption after Arsenal went 2-0 to the good. The outrage-despair machine is running at full capacity, and it’s fun to be part of the Gunners’ problems for a second year running.
Another tough fixture after a couple ‘easier’ ones that helped Villa find their feet again. Is it asking too much for Villa to log a second away win in a week? Maybe so. But if Tielemans is any guide, maybe the occasion will get the team’s attention from the off.
Another Boxing Day, another breakdown. Naturally it was disappointing, as was the officiating that contributed to it. That’s been much more the focus than the match itself, which is never a good thing.
Returning to action today at Craven Cottage are Jacob Ramsey and Amadou Onana. Ezri Konsa, Jaden Philogene and John McGinn all make the bench. Good news. But the big surprise is Boubacar Kamara. That’s obviously very good news, while also pointing to the long road faced by Tyrone Mings.
