Aston Villa fell to a 2-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in our pre-season encounter on Wednesday night, as our preparations for the new campaign continue in the USA.
Villa started relatively brightly and were competitive in the first half, but after conceding two poor goals and seeing Diego Carlos sent off just before the break, that ultimately shaped the rest of the game and forced us into a defensive approach for the second half.
READ MORE: How Villa midfield is evolving to implement Emery’s principles and vision
Unai Emery once again stressed the importance of these games in our adaptation process and to build fitness in his post-match interview, and so although the result wasn’t ideal and the performance isn’t up to our capabilities as of yet, these are hopefully important stepping stones to get us prepared for the new Premier League campaign.
As expected, there were multiple changes from half-time onwards too, and so coupled with the intensive training sessions, the Villa players will be experienced enough and calm to know that they are building towards being at their best in time for August 17, and that’s ultimately the most crucial aspect of any pre-season schedule.
Aston Villa player ratings vs RB Leipzig:
Robin Olsen, 5 – Was only able to play the first half hour after taking a knock to his head. Inaccurate with his distribution at times but a composed presence between the posts in the early stages and was left badly exposed by Barkley’s mistake for the opening goal.
Matty Cash, 6 – A decent defensive shift from the Polish international, while he pushed forward and got involved in our build-up play effectively at times too as he looks to impress amid increased competition.
Diego Carlos, 4 – Started the game well, but got involved in a personal battle with Openda and subsequently got sent off after two yellow cards. The RB Leipzig forward made the most of it, but Carlos is experienced enough to know better, and his dismissal ruined the rest of the game for us.
Pau Torres, 7 – Showed great touch and passing accuracy to continue to build our play out from the back even with high pressing from Leipzig, and was alert to danger when needed to snuff out their threat.
Lucas Digne, 6 – Defensively sound for the most part and got into advanced areas to whip balls into the box, but couldn’t find a telling contribution to find a teammate.
Amadou Onana, 7 – Unfortunate that he had to slot into the centre-half role after Carlos received his red card, as the Belgian midfielder was impressive in his natural role. Showed physicality, tenacity and technical ability to make an impact in both phases, and so it’s a positive development to see him adapt and integrate so quickly.
Ross Barkley, 5 – Had his moments as he helped us break forward with pace to exploit space, but was dispossessed for the opening goal and was otherwise limited. Need more quality from him on the ball in that role next to a teammate like Onana.
Leon Bailey, 5 – Quiet game for the Jamaican winger, as although he found space well on the counter at times, he couldn’t produce the quality needed to turn that into a decisive opening either as a creator or a direct threat himself.
John McGinn, 5.5 – Boost to have the Villa skipper back, as although it was clear he’s still playing catch up in terms of fitness, he’ll have gained a lot from this run-out to help get him up to speed and settle back into the structure and style of play with Emery.
Samuel Iling-Junior, 5 – Still struggling to showcase his full potential, but hopefully as he continues to get minutes and build confidence in his new surroundings, we’ll see him start to have a more direct impact on games.
Morgan Rogers, 5 – Villa found it difficult to unlock the Leipzig defence and chances were at a premium. Rogers didn’t look as effective up front, and so although he was worth a test to showcase his versatility, he looks much more influential in his preferred role behind a frontman.
Substitutes:
Oliwier Zych, 5.5 – Valuable experience for the young shot-stopper as although he didn’t have a great deal to do, initially did well to deny Openda before he tapped home Leipzig’s second.
Ian Maatsen, 5.5 – Still adapting and settling into his role as there was an element of indecision in his play at times, but added energy and intent in a useful outing to continue his integration.
Jaden Philogene, 5 – With Villa struggling to keep possession, we weren’t able to get the ball into the feet of our attacking players and so Philogene struggled to get into the game.
Youri Tielemans, 5.5 – Similarly to McGinn, great to have him back in the fold as he’ll add a crucial dynamic to our play with his composure and passing. Positive start, will hopefully continue to improve in the remainder of our pre-season schedule.
Jacob Ramsey, 5.5 – Great to see him back and get valuable minutes after his long injury layoff. Showed good touch and link-up play at times, but naturally, he looked rusty and is still having his minutes managed as he’ll look to step it up in the next fortnight.
Emiliano Buendia, 5.5 – With Villa on the back-foot and having to defend with 10 men, he did a good job in setting the tone and our defensive shape with his movement up front in an otherwise limited attacking display.
Kosta Nedeljkovic, 5.5 – Not as impactful from an offensive perspective in this one given the context, but continues to get on the pitch and build chemistry with his teammates.
Enzo Barrenechea, 5.5 – Composed in possession as he kept things ticking over when we had the ball, while he drew a couple of fouls to break play up and give us some respite. Positive impact in the circumstances.
Leander Dendoncker, 5.5 – Had to play as a centre-half given our lack of numbers in that department, and he did a pretty good job in keeping things tight at the back as we didn’t concede in the second half.
Lamare Bogarde, 5.5 – Has been used in midfield in pre-season so far, but replaced Pau and slotted into the backline well in the latter stages to show his versatility ahead of an expected loan exit this summer.
Alex Moreno, N/A
