After a wonderful summer of sport that saw the Lionesses electrify the nation, ‘Bazball’ send shockwaves through the cricketing world and Bimingham take centre stage during a wonderful Commonwealth Games, a unique Premier League season began this weekend.
With a winter World Cup looming, sides will have been targeting a fast start to the season, and Steven Gerrard and his team will have identified the opening set of fixtures as a chance to lay down a marker.
Villa’s form at the back end of the 2021/22 campaign had been bitterly disappointing, but the lack of jeopardy as the Villans stumbled to a lower mid table finish will have been the justification with the obvious caveat of a dramatic improvement in performances and results this time around.
In what seems like a rarity, Villa had what, from the outside, looked like a quiet pre-season with the majority of incomings done early in the window and a solid, if not particularly inspiring, set of performances. Bournemouth, on the other hand, seemed to struggle in the weeks leading up to their opening fixture.
Scott Parker was unable to add quality to his newly promoted side, whilst a number of players that the former England international would have hoped to call upon suffered injury blows. A disappointing pre-season resulted in a third successive defeat at home to Real Sociedad this week.
With the Cherries missing some key men and Gerrard facing some tough selection dilemmas, here’s how the two sides lined up for the curtain raiser:
The hosts handed a debut to promising young midfielder Marcus Tavernier, whilst Gerrard opted for Ings, Ramsey and Konsa in the headline team news. The game marked the first of John McGinn’s permanent spell as captain, after some underwhelming stand-in jobs for the Scottish international in recent seasons.
The Bournemouth manager had expressed his disappointment at his side’s pre-season both on and off the field, but within minutes of kick-off, Jefferson Lerma had Parker dancing down the touchline.
A corner from the right was nodded down and amongst the crowded penalty area, it was the Colombian international who pounced to lash past a helpless Emi Martinez. Lucas Digne had been off the pitch receiving treatment, but the away side should still have dealt with both the first and second ball with more conviction, as Villa got off to a nightmare start for the second season in a row.
Conceding within two minutes should have kicked the Lions into gear, but a sluggish spell nearly saw Bournemouth stretch further ahead. Poor decision making from the Cherries forward players, alongside a top Martinez reflex stop kept the score at 1-0.
Villa did eventually improve, as the game drifted towards half-time, but a bluntness in the final third marred any promising attacks, as Coutinho and Ramsey in particular struggled to assert any real control.
The half-time whistle sounded, with Villa behind but not yet out of the game. There was a sense that Bournemouth’s frailties could be exposed and Villa’s intensity and creativity could surely only improve after the break.
Bournemouth do have weaknesses that top teams will exploit but, as the second half began, Villa played right into their hands. What Scott Parker’s side lacks in regards to outstanding technicians, they more than make up for in height, character and intelligence. Players like Lerma, Lloyd Kelly, Chris Mepham and the familiar foe Philip Billing are imposing figures defensively, who provide charismatic leadership and sound organisation, whilst Kieffer Moore and Dom Solanke hustle and harry defenders with their aerial prowess, ability to hold the ball up and their knack for picking up dangerous positions.
So for Villa to persist with hopeful crosses into the box for much of the afternoon was as senseless as it was frustrating. Just when Villa looked to be in a good position, the ball was hoisted towards an isolated Danny Ings and Mepham and Kelly could clear allowing Bournemouth to reset. With Matty Cash and Lucas Digne in the side of course crosses will play a key role in producing big chances for Villa, but there needs to be a backup plan, especially against a Bournemouth side with such a structured low block and physically dominant defenders.
The backup plan seemed to be to just change the personnel, without altering the style of play. Four players came and went, with Buendia, Luiz, Watkins and Archer entering the fray. Whilst the substitutes looked better in general than the players they were replacing, the changes gave the impression of a pre-season game that was petering out to a conclusion.
As full time drew ever closer, the Cherries provided the knockout punch. Once again, a set piece was the root of Villa’s downfall. Kelly retrieved an inaccurate Philip Billing header, and hung a cross up towards the back post. Kieffer Moore had three Villa shirts around him, but none challenging the powerful Welsh forward. His header was brilliantly judged, and Martinez was unable to get near it. It was a real old school centre forward’s finish, but one that was again completely avoidable. If Austin MacPhee has improved Villa from offensive set pieces, the same unfortunately cannot be said for defensive situations just yet. Villa were amongst the top five leakiest defences from dead ball scenarios last year, and showed their soft underbelly once more on the opening day of the new campaign.
One of the reasons for the inadequate defending from crosses was of course the absence of Tyrone Mings. Many of us thought that he may be on the bench as he was recovering from injury, that was not the case. He was, by all accounts, fit and raring to go but Gerrard favoured Ezri Konsa. The former Brentford defender is superb and will have a better season this time around, but surely the reliability of Calum Chambers or the dominance of Tyrone Mings would have countered Bournemouth’s aerial strengths perfectly. In his post-match media duties the gaffer decided to send a message to Mings that he needs to “look me in the eye and show me he’s ready” to regain his place in the team. This is risky player management, Mings will likely take this in his stride and put in the work to show the manager he is more than capable.This could yet, however, inspire the tenacious England defender to return an even better and more determined player, as he looks to book a spot on the plane to Qatar, but such a public dressing down of a popular and influential figure may not go down well with fans and players.
After all, Villa’s record is truly woeful without the Bath-born commander. As highlighted by @AVFCStatto on Twitter, Villa have only won one and lost seven of the ten games that Mings has missed, on average score 0.4 less goals per game and concede 0.6 more. Gerrard is a winner, and part of that winning mentality comes from a steely stubbornness that helped him rise to the top, but this could be the downfall of the Liverpudlian if results do not pick up.
This can be seen in broad daylight with the continual snubbing of record signing Emiliano Buendia. The Argentinian is a box of tricks, but combines that with tenacity and bravery. He is willing to get on the ball and make things happen even when the chips are down. Yet no matter how well he plays, come 2pm on a Saturday his name is in small print at the bottom of the team sheet graphic. Coutinho is an unbelievable talent and will provide moments of magic this season, but unless he hits form early in the season, Gerrard will have to opt for Buendia instead or fit them in together, else he will face suggestions from some quarters that he is picking his friends over those most suitable for the given task instead. If he does not, the tag of Steve Jobs (for the boys), alongside the situation surrounding man management could become a hill that Gerrard’s job at Villa dies on. It is still some time away, but things do need to change soon. The manager will know that as well as anyone, he holds himself to the highest standards and every defeat will hurt.
One of the changes that needs to be made is in terms of mentality. There must be a psychological stumbling block, for example, that is stopping Aston Villa from picking up draws when they do not play well. Teams like Leicester and Brighton both finished in the top half, and did so largely through an ability to pick up draws whether they deserved to or not, whilst sides like West Ham were able to turn games that look like dead rubbers into narrow wins. Villa won more games last year than Crystal Palace and Brighton, and the same number as Newcastle and Brentford, yet finished below them all. Only Arsenal, Spurs and Watford drew less games than Villa and only Everton, Watford and Norwich lost more.
Curiously, this is not particularly a new problem for Villa, who have drawn eight, seven and six games respectively in the years since promotion. If Villa had played the uninspiring brand of football that they displayed at Dean Court on Saturday, but came away with a point, then the hysteria would not have followed. Disappointment yes, but not necessarily the mini crisis that some fans are feeling.
One loss against a newly promoted side will not define our season. There is precedent for teams producing a shambolic display and still turning their season around. Arsenal were dismal last year as they were disassembled by Thomas Frank’s buzzing Bees, whilst Marco Silva’s Fulham were the better side for large swathes of yesterday’s draw with Liverpool. Nonetheless, the Reds will likely be in the mix at the top again this year.
But it is how the management and players respond. The teams that are going places react swiftly and come out with a vengeance to follow a disappointing result up with a victory. Everton showed fight against Chelsea but have a distinct lack of quality in the final third.
Demarai Gray, Anthony Gordon and Dwight McNeil are all exciting players, but without last season’s talismanic figure Richarlison, and a seemingly rejuvenated Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffering an injury days before the season started, they look toothless. Mind you, the same could be said for Villa at the weekend, and that was without any injuries or sales of key men!
Nevertheless, a win, and perhaps most crucially a scintillating performance, is expected next Saturday, or else the noise surrounding Steven Gerrard could start to reach fever pitch. This side is capable of playing great football, and can go toe-to-toe with even the very best sides in the land on their day, but the new season started as the last ended. That is with a whimper, a lack of clear identity, and signs that the manager still does not quite know his best side.
He is still the man to lead the club, and there is still a long way to go in the season, so Villa fans will give the manager the benefit of the doubt for now. But Gerrard’s Claret and Blue army will need to show all their character, grit and ability to dig deep and turn things around in front of a rocking Villa Park. The season starts next week Villans! UTV!
AUTHOR | JOEY MILLINGTON
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive Joey Millington | UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
UTV PODCAST HQ
SUBSCRIBE
Enjoying this article – then please subscribe to UTVPODCAST | An Aston Villa Blog to help us grow and support the site; you’ll receive instant email notifications of all released article.
Plus, it’s completely free.
VILLA BELLAS
Villa Bellas is the Official AVFC Women’s Network. In an unequal and often unrelenting world we work to break down barriers for equality.
Our network aims to raise the voice of women and non-binary people at @AVFCOfficial We support inclusion & diversity and with our allies, we can challenge sexism and misogyny, creating a safe and welcoming environment for the fans in the stands and the women on the pitch.
Let’s celebrate ourselves and champion each other while having fun doing it!
Twitter: @villabellas Instagram: @villa.bellas
DONATE
UTVPODCAST | An Aston Villa Blog— is accepting small donations, which will help to support the site’s ongoing evolution.
Thank you so much for your support.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook and Twitter readers, click the respective icon below to follow our utvpodcast social media accounts.
UTVPODCAST is pleased to partner with Official AVFC Store, Fanatics, Kitbag, and Classic Football Shirts. Throughout the season, we will bring you special offers and discount codes.
ASTON VILLA | AVFC STORE
2022/23 Aston Villa Home Shirt – Shop Now
ASTON VILLA | CLASSIC FOOTBALL SHIRTS
