Aston Villa picked up a 2-1 win over St. Louis City in our latest pre-season friendly on Wednesday night, as our preparations for the new campaign continue.
Goals from Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins in each half ensured that we picked up our first win this summer after defeats to Walsall and Hansa Rostock along with a draw against Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend.
READ MORE: Injury blow for Villa youngster as absence in pre-season explained
Aside from the result, Unai Emery will have been pleased with what he saw from his players as he was able to use 22 individuals to ensure most got minutes to continue to build their match fitness, and we’re hopefully building momentum and confidence as our USA pre-season tour nears its end.
Villa face Nashville SC on Saturday before returning home, and it’s hoped that we can continue to show positive signs with the new Premier League season rapidly approaching.
Watkins, Rogers on the scoresheet again
While there will of course be a desire to see goal contributions come from multiple players to ensure we have a dynamic attack and share that responsibility, it’s a big positive to see two key players in Watkins and Rogers get on the scoresheet again.
The former produced a good finish to break the deadlock after Villa started well, while Watkins headed home our second after the break as he looks to find his rhythm and consistency in front of goal.
Having made such an impressive impact up to this point, more will naturally be expected from Rogers as he continues to improve, develop and mature, and so the signs are certainly positive from him too as he’ll have to carry more responsibility.
Malen continues impressive pre-season
Much was expected from the Dutchman heading into pre-season, as it was felt as though he had a point to prove after what transpired last season, namely being left out of our Champions League squad after he arrived in January.
With Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio removed from the picture, Malen will have a fundamental role to play for Emery moving forward, as he’s showing encouraging signs thus far that he’s ready to step up to the challenge.
He registered his third assist in our last two games after playing in Rogers for his goal after some excellent play between the pair to break at St. Louis after we won possession back in midfield, and so Malen’s form this summer is emerging as one of the big positives.
Key minutes for McGinn, Martinez
There were first pre-season appearances from John McGinn and Emiliano Martinez in midweek, and it’s imperative that they get back up to speed given how influential they are in the side.
Martinez didn’t have too much to deal with but was alert to the threat posed when needed, but McGinn was one of, if not the, star performer in the first half as he looked sharp and played with rhythm and confidence.
The Villa skipper will give us another option in the deeper midfield pivot when needed, and his ability to see things evolve in front of him and play quick, incisive passes to teammates in advanced areas of space was one of the clear stand-out features of our performance in the opening 45 minutes.
Buendia, Bailey still have to prove themselves
It’s still unclear if there will be further movement in the transfer market for Villa or not, as while it feels as though we need reinforcements still, this summer could be one to consolidate and solidify what we have and try to rein in our spending.
Given how heavily he’s featured thus far in pre-season, Buendia appears to have the opportunity of a second chance after his loan spell with Bayer Leverkusen last season, while Bailey has reintegrated and is getting minutes on our tour.
The pair did show positive signs with their ability to find space in threatening positions and create openings, but there was no end product from either which will have disappointed them. If they are to feature heavily this season and fend off the threat of new signings pushing them out, they’ll need to show their capacity to be decisive on a more consistent basis.
Sharper performance, Villa progressing well this summer
This was absolutely a step in the right direction from a performance perspective, as Villa were much better compared to what we saw in the first three pre-season friendlies of the summer.
We looked sharper, more energetic and played with positive intent throughout, and so we’re starting to see positive indications that preparation is going well and players are coming through unscathed.
Hopefully, we’ll see that trend continue this weekend and beyond, and while the wait goes on to see if we’ll make signings ahead of the new campaign, those at Emery’s disposal are settled, familiar with what’s being demanded of them, and that should be a significant strength of ours going into the new season.
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