Following an unfeasibly long winter/international break, and a full 17 days away from action, Aston Villa returned to the field against Leeds United on Wednesday night, with many suggesting it could be a thrilling encounter.
They weren’t wrong as the game came with everything. End to end action, goals, and even a petulant red card. It was far from boring at B6, so let’s look at the five things we learnt from the game…
Still Slow Starters!
I am feeling a sense of déjà vu with this one, as I once again find myself writing about our inability to start games well. In my ‘Five Things We Learnt’ feature following the 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford, I touched upon how we had conceded too many goals in the opening ten-fifteen minutes of games and that it desperately needed to stop.
However, the curse struck once more against Leeds, and we found ourselves chasing the game after allowing an early goal for the opposition.
Basic lapses in concentration across the back line allowed for Dan James to steal in and finish, albeit beautifully, inside just nine minutes of play.
It is simply unacceptable to start games in this manner at the top level. You are going to get punished for that lack of concentration and organisation every single time.
Winning games in the Premier League is hard enough work as it is, without giving teams a head start, and Villa are doing that too often. It has happened far too many times for it to be a coincidence, and it is now a genuine problem.
I’m not sure how that problem gets rectified, whether it’s little tweaks or wholesale changes, but it needs looking at urgently if we are to progress to the next level.
I will discuss our defensive frailties in more detail later in the piece.
The Magic’s Still There
I think it’s fairly safe to say the idea that Philippe Coutinho is in any way “finished” or “past it” can be put firmly in the bin at this point.
The sheer amount of rival fans telling us that our loan signing of the Brazilian superstar was in some way comical was really quite ridiculous.
We heard countless utterances of how he’d “done nothing” at Barcelona or indeed Bayern Munich, despite having won two La Liga titles, a Bundesliga title, and the Champions League in his time with those clubs.
And we also heard how he was “too old” for the PL now, despite being just 29 years of age in an era where many top level players are able to compete well into their mid-30s.
Yet in just three appearances – none of which have included a full 90 minutes – he has chalked up four goal contributions for us; with two goals and two assists.
It’s a bit of a well-worn cliché, but you really don’t become a bad player overnight. And to wheel out another old chestnut, form is temporary but class really is permanent.
It’s often been said of Coutinho that he is a quiet and shy player who needs to be loved, and after such a blistering start, he is already receiving that adoration from the Villa faithful.
They say you should never fall in love with a loan player, but it’s difficult to prevent when they make the kind of impact Little Phil has.
It has of course been reported the loan deal includes an option to buy, and should his early form continue in this manner, and should he remain fit, then it is an absolute no-brainer for us to get that deal finalised in the summer.
The man oozes class. He is a game changer. Aside from the flashy little flicks and the swagger, he is an incredibly intelligent footballer.
His vision and accuracy when setting up both of Jacob Ramsey’s goals was simply sublime. And given that he is not even close to full match fitness yet, there is certainly more to come.
Generational JJ
Talking of Jacob Ramsey, what a player that boy is becoming! I remember having a discussion about him last season, and whether he would be able to be the breakthrough player that many were suggesting he could be.
He had made plenty of appearances, (22 in total) yet registered no goals or assists during the 20/21 campaign. Despite still being so young, I would still have expected one or two goal contributions from such a promising attacking midfielder. So I do admit, there was a slight slither of doubt in my mind about JJ, and I have never been happier to have that doubt proven completely unfounded.
This season he has been simply explosive. In just 20 appearances so far, he has registered five goals and one assist.
He doesn’t score tap-ins either. His first for the club was an inch-perfect screamer from the edge of the box against Arsenal. It was, regrettably, a consolation goal in an embarrassing defeat, but it certainly marked his arrival as a proper player.
He ran the length of the pitch against Norwich to smash home his second of the season, before rifling home a well taken goal against Manchester United to kick start our magnificent comeback against the Red Devils.
And his two goals against Leeds were simply sensational. As I mentioned, the assists from Coutinho were incredible, but the finishing from young Jacob was next level. Neither strike was ever in doubt from the moment he picked up the ball.
Following the departure of academy graduate Jack Grealish last summer, we needed a new local star boy to step up and become a Villa great. We have found that with Ramsey.
But, like Steven Gerrard alluded to in his post-match appraisal, he isn’t following in anyone’s footsteps. He isn’t the “next Grealish”. He’s Jacob Ramsey and he’s the real deal.
Indefensible Defence
Villa’s defending against Leeds was truly woeful, and it really showed us just how much work needs to be done in tightening things up at the back.
Our defence was rock solid for the most part of last season. We looked resolute, and kept a whopping 15 clean sheets throughout the campaign.
Emi Martinez received many deserved plaudits for those clean sheets, but it simply wasn’t a one-man job. We were solid, we were organised, we fought to the death. It was often the case that once we scored, victory would soon follow. We were incredibly difficult to score against.
This season has been a completely different story, and it’s becoming a growing frustration as the game weeks go on.
One can’t help but wonder if the complete overhaul of the managerial team has played a part in this unfortunate turnaround.
Dean Smith and John Terry were, of course, defenders during their playing careers, and while our early defensive form upon returning to the top flight wasn’t particularly great, it was something that we worked on during lockdown, and from Project Restart onwards, we were a different animal at the back.
Terry and Smith’s departures may have played a huge part in our defensive frailties, and it may be worth the current coaching team taking a look at bringing in a dedicated defensive coach.
All our other coaches, barring goalkeeping hero Neil Cutler, are attack minded. That shows on the pitch, as we have scored a reasonable number of goals, and we always look threatening when our attackers really start to flow.
But clean sheets have been hard to come by this season, with only six registered so far. By comparison, at this stage of last season we had kept 12!
As I mentioned earlier, our poor starts to games has been a real issue, and our chances of clean sheets are often over in the first quarter of an hour.
We are gifting teams goals left, right and centre. Silly mistakes, poor touches, bad passes – they’re all there and contributing to our defensive downfall.
I’m not here to dig anyone out either. Individuals don’t lose football games, teams do. And everyone at the back has to take a share of the blame.
In the short term I hope we can make some improvements and sustain a reasonable finish to the season, but ultimately I feel this is a longer term problem that will be addressed in the summer.
Ollie Needs a Break
Not only does Ollie Watkins need a break from the unfair criticism across social media, he needs a break from the action.
He was poor against Leeds, and for all his valiant efforts in claret and blue so far, I think he has to be dropped for our next fixture against Newcastle United.
That’s not to say there were no positives from his display against the Yorkshire Whites, because there were moments of brilliance on display.
His run to take the defender away and allow Ramsey to score was magnificent, and had he been an inch or two taller he may have got on the end of a couple of crosses which were sent his way by Matty Cash and Lucas Digne.
I just don’t think he was involved anywhere near as often as we’ve come to expect from him, and his work rate just wasn’t at his usual sky high standard.
Is he a terrible player who has given up all hope and needs to be sold at the first opportunity? Of course not. He has talent by the bucket load and we know how deadly he can be when he’s firing on all cylinders. But he’s not in form at the moment and that has to be taken into account when picking the best eleven.
Danny Ings is waiting in the wings – no rhyme intended – and could be the perfect foil to the creativity of Buendia, Coutinho and Ramsey.
Watkins has worked his socks off for Villa and I think he may need a break from the pressures of leading the front line. He has played so many minutes and ran so many miles. It’s time for a change.
As I’ve said before, there is absolutely no shame in being dropped to the bench when you are part of a competitive and talented squad. Rotation is essential as we move into the second half of the season. It freshens the side up and it keeps everyone on their toes.
To conclude, there were probably more negatives than positives to be taken from the Leeds game, but it certainly isn’t all doom and gloom.
You can feel this team is going to click into gear soon, and someone is going to feel the full force of our weaponry. There is still plenty of football to be played, and there are some very exciting days ahead for this club.
Keep the faith, and Up the Villa!
UTV PODCAST | LATEST NEWS
Check out the latest news from the UTV Podcast camp.
Remember, this is a channel built by fans for the fans. It’s a platform for anyone to come on and have their say – if it’s joining us on a Fan Reaction show or getting involved in our written work like Fan Reports, Fan Stories, Player Focus and the popular Player Ratings or have your question answered on our Preview shows – it is open to all.
It’s a super chilled platform, so drop us a message or use our contact page.
FACEBOOK | UTV PODCAST AN ASTON VILLA BLOG
Tap the icon button to join our Facebook page for instant notifications of all the website releases.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook and Twitter readers, click the respective icon below to follow our utvpodcast social media accounts.
In association with #HerGameToo
#Hergame Too is a campaign set up to raise awareness for the sexism that is prevalent in football, as well as supporting, empowering, and creating opportunities for females involved in the game. The #HerGameToo team are made up of twelve football fans that represent an array of teams across the country, including some that work in the industry who have experienced some sexism in their everyday work. They actively encourage people to speak out about their experiences, whether it be to #HerGameToo, friends or family, or the football clubs involved. We must acknowledge that football has come a long way from the issues that existed historically, however there is still a long way to go.
#HerGameToo are doing great work on understanding and removing misogyny in the men’s game, and are continuing to develop their campaign to make it the most inclusive and accessible it can be. Elevating hard-hitting stories, data and new voices is helping to spread their message loud and clear.
If you would like to show your support for #HerGameToo, you can help by calling out any misogynistic comments you hear or see and give them a follow on any of their socials.
W: http://hergametoo.co.uk T: @HerGameToo I: @HerGameToo F: @HerGameToo
