Off the flat showing at the City Ground, Villa are back home to host AZ Alkmaar in their return fixture. Emery’s made a few changes to freshen things up a bit and rotate. In come Carlos, Lenglet, Tielemans, and Bailey. Duran is back on the bench. Will AZ pose a tougher test than two weeks ago?
The biggest challenge Villa face now is mentality. We’ve reached a position where consistency is the fundamental issue. And consistency has a lot to do with self-belief. Winning teams find ways to win. Which, yes, is down to quality, but also a belief in their ability to get results time after time.
Over the course of five days Villa swept aside reining Conference League champions West Ham and their semifinal opponent AZ Alkmaar, each by a 4-1 scoreline. I was somehow suddenly a bundle of nerves after AZ pulled one back, so the ghosts of Villa past certainly haven’t left me. But the performances have been real.
The sides Villa have faced so far have been on very good form, domestically. They’ve been well-drilled, athletic, mentally tough, and play nice football. Alkmaar, currently unbeaten in league play, have only lost once in their last 15: to Zrinjski. It’s also their sixth consecutive season of European football. And of course Alkmaar were West Ham’s semifinal opponents last year.
Another interminable international break (well done, Ollie), and now another bogey team for Villa. Dunno what it is, but winless in 10 against the Irons since 2015 is something Emery will want to put right, especially given the next three league matches are ones Villa will think they should be winning.
