Aston Villa were back in a familiar place this weekend, as we were forced to come from behind to secure a 3-1 win over Wolves at Villa Park.
It came after we overturned a two-goal deficit at home against Everton last weekend, and so it was another display of our resilience and belief in our way of playing that we were able to launch another thrilling comeback to take maximum points.
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While Unai Emery deserves praise for his influence in inspiring those turnarounds with his man-management, coaching class and in-game changes, those who were given an opportunity to make an impression and change the pattern of the game should also be lauded for making a vital impact.
Once again, our strength in depth was on show as Leon Bailey, Ian Maatsen, Ross Barkley, Jhon Duran and Emiliano Buendia came off the bench in the second half to give us a much-needed boost, and that’s not to mention unused substitutes Kosta Nedeljkovic and Lamare Bogarde, while we have Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara to return from injury soon.
That said, a trio in particular stood out again this weekend, as the impact that Maatsen, Barkley and Duran had after the break was fundamental in our ability to build sustained pressure and find ways to unlock the Wolves defence and break them down to score three top goals.
Bailey will likely now return to having a prominent role after not only recovering from his own setback, but with John McGinn expected to be sidelined with a hamstring injury, but the trio named above will surely be in line to start at Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night, and potentially beyond that too.
Maatsen added energy, technical quality, superior vision and passing and athleticism down the left flank to increase our level in both phases, and while Lucas Digne has done a stellar job since making that position his own last season, it surely can’t be argued that our Dutch summer signing isn’t the long-term solution and better option.
He’ll likely get an opportunity to prove that in midweek, and it would come as no surprise if the process of Maatsen becoming Emery’s first-choice at left-back starts to pick up pace in the next fortnight.
As for Barkley, he has been brilliant in the latter stages of the games that he’s come on in, as he’s slotted in alongside Youri Tielemans, and given us a renewed sense of control to dictate possession in deeper areas and build sustained pressure to create wave after wave of Villa attack against sides sitting deeper with something to protect.
Similarly, it’s his composure, technical class and athleticism that allows him to make the difference in midfield, and while Amadou Onana offers something different and will be an integral figure in our season, there are scenarios and opponents that Barkley will be the more effective option.
A stubborn Wycombe side looking to get numbers behind the ball and make life difficult for us could be a perfect time to give Barkley a start, and there is real confidence that he will make the most of it and showcase his quality.
Duran is less of a more recent emergence, given he’s developed a welcome habit of scoring winning goals since the season started.
With Ollie Watkins carrying knocks, he’ll be a certainty to be rested on Tuesday night, and that gives our Colombian frontman the chance to show he can deliver from the start as well as off the bench.
Importantly, there were promising signs of his partnership with Watkins in the latter stages against Wolves, and so after putting all the talk over the summer behind him, Duran is hopefully set to go from strength to strength in a Villa shirt this season.
