After an underwhelming night in Warsaw during the week, Villa returned to winning ways in West London on Sunday against Chelsea.
London has been a happy hunting ground for Unai Emery and his troops since his return to English football after an ill-fated previous spell in the capital. Villa have not lost within the realms of the M25 since the last match of Steven Gerrard’s wretched tenure and have only been beaten by one London side at Villa Park in that time period as Emery’s former employers Arsenal edged a close battle in February. On Sunday, Villa defeated Chelsea for the second consecutive time at Stamford Bridge.
Here are the key talking points from a victorious afternoon amongst the pleasant surroundings of the Hammersmith and Fulham borough.
Words by: Joey Millington
Bouncebackability
A rotated Villa side had come unstuck in the ferocious caldron that is Stadion Wojska Polskiego on Thursday night. Sloppy defending, lapses in concentration and wastefulness punctuated the Legia Warsaw match, so it was important to respond quickly and decisively against a Chelsea side who have had similar criticisms labelled at them in recent months. If Villa are to fight on four fronts this year, games will come thick and fast. Defeats and tired performances will come throughout the season, but the real test will be how quick Villa can bounce back. Winning is infectious, but unfortunately so too is losing and thus Villa were determined to right Thursday’s wrongs immediately.
With Pau Torres back in the line-up alongside Ezri Konsa, the in-form Matty Cash restored at right back and Luiz reunited with his midfield partner Kamara, Villa’s structure looked immeasurably more solid, whilst summer recruits Zaniolo and Diaby, as well as the rejuvenated Lucas Digne, all posed a threat at the other end. Talismanic figure Ollie Watkins was well-marshalled for most of the game, but took his chance when it finally arrived. Such a complete team performance where every player, including the subs, stepped up and did the job asked of them in the wake of such a disappointing result, is testament to the culture and resilience that Unai Emery has built within the squad and will serve Villa well in what proves to be a long and testing season. Such a compact and organised display away from home was also just the ticket, after difficult afternoons at Anfield and St. James Park in recent times.
Poch vs Unai
In the build-up to the game, a lot had been made of the comparisons between Mauricio Pochettino and Unai Emery, notably in that the pair had been the front runners for the Villa job last year. Exactly what level of interest Villa held for the Argentinian remains unclear, but ultimately the decision was made to appoint the managerially more experienced and decorated Emery and Villa have not looked back since.
Pochettino is clearly a top coach and will surely get it right at Chelsea if allowed enough time, but given the levels of spending at the Bridge in recent windows, pressure has already begun to build on the former Spurs head coach. His side have been accused of being profligate in front of goal, unimaginative in finding ways of breaking opponents down when they sit deep and incohesive as a result of the lavish summer overhaul and a seriously unfortunate streak of injuries to first team players, which includes club captain Reece James, former Villa youngster Carney Chukwuemeka and French superstar Christopher Nkunku.
Villa’s last trip to the Bridge was Graham Potter’s ‘Waterloo’ moment as he was sacked in the aftermath, but one suspects that ‘Poch’ will be afforded time to mould this side to his liking due to his stature in the game and the mitigation of injuries.
Whilst Unai Emery got his game plan spot on and therefore obtained the bragging rights against his former North London rival, that is not to say that Pochettino was completely outmanoeuvred. Villa’s high line was largely successful, but both Jackson and Sterling, who look much improved this season, did break through on occasions, only to waste golden opportunities. Villa’s high risk defensive line did pay off magnificently as Disasi fell foul to the offside trap. After a set-piece situation stalled, a new cross found the French defender. The Blues number two met it on his temple, but could not believe that he had been cunningly caught offside.
In truth, the game may well have been headed for a draw had it not been for the dangerous tackle made by the inexperienced Malo Gusto. The full-back rightly saw red after a VAR review for his rash challenge on Lucas Digne.
Ultimately, that was all inconsequential in the end as Ollie Watkins fired Emery to a sixth win in 12 against Pochettino, leaving the Villa owners feeling rather smug about their appointment last October. Lest we forget, the previous manager said that Chelsea should be “wiping the floor” at Villa Park. The current manager has masterminded two consecutive wins, with the accompaniment of two clean sheets, at Stamford Bridge.
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Top Stoppers
Whilst the whole team excelled, once again it was Emi Martínez who put in a match winning performance to keep the Blues out. ‘Dibu’ faced one-on-one situations against the lively Nico Jackson, a resurgent Raheem Sterling on two occasions and then substitute Ben Chilwell in the dying embers of the game and came out on top in emphatic style against each opponent. No Martínez masterclass is complete without a yellow card and the World Cup winner had time to add his customary booking for dallying over a goal kick late in the game.
If ‘Dibu’ will take much of the headlines for his clean sheet, Robert Sánchez deserves an enormous amount of credit for his display between the posts for the hosts. The summer signing from Brighton made six saves, two more than his counterpart, including remarkable reflex stops to deny Lucas Digne and Nicolò Zaniolo what looked like certain goals. The save to ward off the silky Italian was especially difficult, as Sánchez would have only had milliseconds to see the ball in a box as crowded as Piccadilly Circus. Amongst a disappointing start to the campaign for his new side, the Spain international has impressed in between the sticks, although he may feel a little aggrieved to have been caught out from such a tight angle by Watkins in the second half.
Partnerships Blossoming
Villa have been incredibly unfortunate with injuries early in the season, particularly in central defence where the imperious Tyrone Mings has proved to be a huge loss in terms of leadership, organisation and aerial ability, whilst Diego Carlos is not fully fit after his hamstring injury at Anfield.
This has meant Pau Torres has been thrust into the limelight in the early weeks of the season, whilst loanee Clément Lenglet came under fire for his part in a chaotic mid-week performance that left Unai Emery barking angrily on the sideline. Unsurprisingly, Torres needed a couple of games to adapt to both English football and playing alongside Ezri Konsa in Villa’s infamous high-risk high line, but the pair are raging against the fresh Autumnal weather as their partnership continues to blossom. Their performance against Crystal Palace was strong, but to stand tall against Chelsea was extremely significant.
Konsa has been a stalwart in recent years for Villa, and after being touted on many occasions to get an England call-up, he now looks every bit the international footballer. It surely cannot be long before Southgate wants to take a closer look at the defender, who regularly shows composure, organisation, speed and has dramatically improved his ability to play out from the back. Add into the mix the fact that he has stepped up as a leader in a hugely successful high line, and Konsa is a perfect example of a quality modern centre back. He currently sits behind the likes of Tomori, Dunk, Guéhi, Maguire and Colwill for the second defensive spot, but he has at least matched, if not bettered, the majority of those in recent months. If not, then Portugal, Angola and DR Congo will surely be reigniting their interest in the number four, who has family ties with all of the aforementioned nations.
The central two of Villa’s midfield bank of four have also delighted the Villa faithful with their control, intelligence, elegance and bite. Kamara and Luiz cost the club a combined £15 million pound, but are now the envy of much of the league as they continue to assert their authority against far more expensive opposition. Caceido and Fernández both showed flashes of their obvious brilliance, but Villa’s dynamic duo won the midfield battle and kept Villa ticking throughout. Like Konsa, it is a mystery that these two do not have more international caps than they currently do, but if they continue to run games in the manner they have been, then such honours will surely follow.
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Ollie on Target
Despite registering a continental hat-trick, two assists and winning two penalties this season, it feels like Groundhog Day, as Ollie Watkins has faced some criticism for his finishing in the Premier League. His all-round performances though, have been superb and there cannot be many defenders who have enjoyed their duels with the England man this term.
On Sunday, it was ironically one of his quieter games that saw Watkins silence the doubters. Thiago Silva and Axel Disasi actually kept Watkins at bay for much of the afternoon, but when the wily old Brazilian misjudged a clearance, Diaby pounced to set his strike partner away with plenty of green park ahead. The chance looked to have gone after a smart Colwill block, but with the defender standing as still as a monument, Watkins reacted swiftly to rifle in the rebound from an acute angle. The finish will have reminded Villa fans of a certain vintage of the cross-goal efforts of Juan Pablo Ángel. Incidentally, Watkins is likely to go past the Colombian, as well as Barry and Benteke, in the club’s all-time Premier League scoring charts in the coming weeks.
His celebration of the goal was telling. A finger in each ear to show that he was blocking out the external noise. It was extremely on-brand of the former Brentford man to score away at Chelsea. Watkins has scored away from home at each of the conglomerate of teams formerly known as the ‘Big Six’, with five of his goals coming in winning causes. Fans will hope that the forward can kick on now, as when Watkins gets off the mark and the pressure dissipates, he often goes on a hot streak of goals and assists.
With all the talk of partnerships previously, it would be remiss to not mention just how well Moussa Diaby and Ollie Watkins seem to have struck it off up top this season. Villa fans love strike partnerships; Little and Gray, Yorke and Milošević, Carew and Gabby. It is early days, but Watkins and Diaby will hope to add their name to the pantheon of all-time greats in attack for the club if they can continue to bamboozle defenders both at home and abroad with their arsenal of trickery, directness, speed and goal threat. The telepathy between the two highlights once more just how lucky we are to have Unai Emery, as many supporters will have expected Diaby to play solely out wide, but the chin-stroking Spaniard had other ideas and as we are so accustomed to these days, he knows exactly what he is doing!
Busy Schedule Continues
It has been a busy couple of weeks after the international break and the schedule continues to look hectic as the side return to Villa Park for a run of three consecutive home matches in three different competitions, starting with Everton in the League Cup. Villa have already played six matches away from home and only three at the fortress, so home comforts will certainly be welcomed. For now though, fans will celebrate what is now becoming a familiar winning feeling in the capital.
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