Aston Villa were held by Leeds United in a gruelling encounter on Wednesday night and a resurgent Newcastle United were next on the radar for Steven Gerrard’s men.
After a disastrous start to the season, Eddie Howe, who was handed a monumental January warchest, was putting together a string of results that have seen his side seize the initiative in the battle to beat the drop.
His opposite number Gerrard, on the other hand, was experiencing his first difficult period as gaffer after a stuttering run in which Villa had only won one match since an impressive victory over Norwich two months ago.
Here’s how the two sides lined up:
For the home side, Matt Targett was ineligible to face his parent club, whilst skipper Jamaal Lascelles was ruled out late in the piece with an illness. Former Sunderland man Javier Manquillo and new signing Dan Burn came in. Steven Gerrard had been sweating on the fitness of Emi Buendia, but the Argentine playmaker was deemed fit enough to start. Calum Chambers made his first competitive start as Ezri Konsa missed out through suspension for a reckless red card in midweek.
Whilst Villa’s last outing had proven to be a goal-fest with moments of magic from forward players from the very start, Sunday’s fixture did not produce such a rip-roaring opening. From the off passes were going astray from both sides, whilst the game was continually punctured with injuries, as the home side took the sting out of any Villa forays.
As the home side defended with great diligence, it was clear that it would require something special from the Villans to break through, but a lacklustre start meant Martin Dubravka was not tested. Villa were unable to get their star men on the ball in the areas that they want them in, whilst Martinez was regularly forced to try and find Ollie Watkins aerially when the visitors could not play out. Of course, with the colossal Dan Burn in their ranks, Newcastle were more than happy for Villa to play direct football.
The game seemed certain to be goalless at the break, until Craig Pawson pointed to the spot in the 31st minute. Chambers had left a leg dangling, and Joe Willock fell after he had taken a heavy touch. Any contact from Chambers on his former Arsenal colleague was clearly outside the box and Pawson’s decision was overruled and changed to a direct free-kick.
Kieran Trippier has crafted a reputation as one of England’s finest set-piece takers, and the full-back was coming off the back of a superb free-kick in a crucial victory over Everton in the week. For all his dead-ball ability, Trippier did not catch it quite as he wanted too but a wicked deflection off Buendia arked the ball over his compatriot in the net. Villa’s number 10 may feel slightly aggrieved, as the Newcastle wall was not the required one metre away mentioned in Laws 13.2 and 13.3, and thus an indirect free-kick could and probably should have been given for Villa. This is not the first, and will not be the last time Villa succumb to this evidently unenforced law of the game, but fans will perhaps expect the same scrutiny over errors such as this which lead to a goal in the future as there has been for offsides and handballs.
HELP US GROW – SUBSCRIBE TO OUR SITE
Enter your email address to subscribe to UTV PODCAST | An Aston Villa Blog and receive instant notifications of all website releases. UTV.
Whilst Villa may feel aggrieved about the manner in which the goal was conceded, there will not have been too many complaints that they were one down at the break, after a half that even the most optimistic fan would struggle to have found positives with. Newcastle had not played well, and danger men Chris Wood and Allan Saint-Maximin were subdued, but Villa had been complacent, sloppy and reactive, compared to their usual high-intensity, technical and proactive style of football.
Last week the Leeds United full-backs and central midfielders had experienced a nightmare first half at the hands of Buendia, Coutinho and Ramsey, but the side from the North East had dealt with the tricky trio excellently.
Such a turgid first half performance left the Villa with a lot to do, but with Newcastle struggling to create big chances too, there will still have been hope of securing all three points. They started the half well and moved the ball far quicker, with Ramsey and Coutinho finding more space and time to create. The Great Barr man had looked lost in the first half and, having switched over to the right. began to link-up well with the tireless Matty Cash.
The Villa right back, who had dealt with the enigmatic Saint-Maximin well, found himself on the end of a clever move but could not test Dubravka. In fact it was not until the 56th minute that Villa did test the Slovakian stopper, and even that was with a tame Douglas Luiz free-kick from distance. It seems bemusing as to why Coutinho continues to waive these situations to his Brazilian international teammate, when he made a habit of scoring from distance for Liverpool.
It was not long before Villa did finally have the ball in the net. A rare flowing move saw Digne evade Emil Krafth down the left hand side. His cross was a good one, and Coutinho pounced to fire a volley towards goal. Swiss international Fabian Schar got the block in, and Watkins reacted quickly to the penalty-box-pinball to head home. After an excruitang delay, as officials searched for an ideal frame and angle, which were not forthcoming, Watkins was deemed offside.
This chain of events summed up Watkins’ night and, in truth,his season. He has not been at his best for a while, but will have been frustrated with the persistence to play long to him for much of the game, as well as the lack of service from Villa’s usually fluid playmakers. He was replaced by Danny Ings, who also struggled with a lack of key passes into feet or in behind.
Leon Bailey and Carney Chukwuemeka also came on, with Buendia and McGinn making way respectively, The Jamaican wideman was making a long anticipated return after a hamstring injury on the 1st December. He was lively when in possession, but Villa looked like they could play all night and not score.
Late on, a medical emergency temporarily halted proceedings and fans of both sides will hope that the individual involved is okay and on the mend soon.
Craig Pawson brought the dul encounter to a close. His underwhelming performance would usually have stood out, but such a poor game from the two sides made his display seem relatively average.
With the two performances this week, many have argued that Villa are already on the beach and need to re-inject some urgency into their season. There is little chance that Gerrard’s men fall into a relegation battle and even less of a chance that they make a run towards the European places. This is a long-term project, though, and there are many players who will be playing for their places and futures.
An improvement on last season is also essential though, and so these players need to rediscover some form and perhaps a little bit of hunger too, to fire the side into the top half.
The return of Marvelous Nakamba in the coming weeks or months will boost the side, but with Luiz supposedly pushing for a move away and clearly uncomfortable with his defensive role, it may be time to start experimenting with talented youngster Tim Iroegbunam soon.
Whilst there are several other players slightly off the pace right now, John McGinn and Ollie Watkins have not performed to their usual high standard of late, and fans will hope to see the pair back to their best very soon, with Danny Ings and Morgan Sanson waiting in the wings. Tyrone Mings looked more solid after a disappointing night against Leeds, and Villa’s other underperformers will look to their skipper for inspiration to get back on track.
Credit must be given to every single Villa fan too. It is just over 16 years since Villa won 3-0 at St. James Park, with Lee Bowyer, Kieron Dyer and Steven Taylor all sent off in a bizarre encounter. An Andy Carroll hat-trick, Loic Remy last minute winner and Henri Lansbury own goal later, and Villa still find a trip to Tyneside a bridge too far. Many of us have made the 200 mile journey up north and the even longer trek up those mountainous steps without joy and on Sunday the claret and blue faithful were as passionate and noisy as ever.
With Watford, Brighton, Southampton and West Ham up next, Villa must string a run of results together. But with mid-table mediocrity all but a formality, performances are perhaps most imperative, as Gerrard attempts to build a successful long-term project at Villa Park.
Authors Social Media
Authors UTV Podcast Articles
joeymillington15 – UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
PLAYER RATINGS | Newcastle 1-0 Aston Villa
PLAYER RATINGS | Newcastle 1-0 Aston Villa (utvpodcast.co.uk)
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
