Aston Villa fell to a 3-2 defeat in our Europa Conference League opening group game against Legia Warsaw on Thursday evening.
It was a bitterly disappointing performance from Villa, as although we showed good character to respond twice after falling behind in the first half, the overall display was well below our usual standard.
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That in turn resulted in a frustrating outcome that will now hopefully be a wake-up call for the rest of the group games, while Unai Emery will be left with decisions to make over who can come in and do the required job when needed.
Having opted to rotate and make five changes, it didn’t work out as planned for Villa, as we lacked our usual control and composure to dominate the game, and had our defensive frailties exposed by an impressive Legia side.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Legia Warsaw:
Emiliano Martinez, 6 – Made an important save just before our second equaliser, but will be disappointed he didn’t do better on the eventual winner having got a good hand to Muci’s effort. Little he could have done for the first two goals given the poor defending in front of him.
Calum Chambers, 5 – Poor defending at the back post for the second goal as Muci ghosted away from him to apply the finish, and there was never really a sense of composure or solidity on that side of the pitch in or out of possession.
Ezri Konsa, 6 – Exposed at times by the pace in the Legia attack which was a concerning sight, and with poor defending around him, made life even more difficult. However, was the best of the bunch at the back, albeit that isn’t saying too much on a disappointing night.
Clement Lenglet, 5 – Not a particularly great debut, as he was unable to provide us with a solid foundation on which we could build and go out and win the game. The defensive unit as a whole were vulnerable throughout, and he didn’t add much of a commanding or controlling presence next to Konsa.
Lucas Digne, 5.5 – Rescued a half-point with his strike that took a deflection and saw us level the game for the second time. However, his defending throughout wasn’t good enough, and although he did offer width and an attacking outlet down the left flank, it doesn’t, and shouldn’t, mask his defensive frailties.
Leon Bailey, 6 – Provided a spark and attacking threat down the right side at times, but it wasn’t consistent enough and had no real end product. A headache with his pace and directness, but perhaps a better option off the bench in Europe moving forward to expose tired defences.
Boubacar Kamara, 5 – Didn’t look his usual self as he was sloppy and sluggish, and as a midfield collective, we didn’t get a foothold and play our usual controlled and measured game. Replaced on the hour mark with some suggesting that he appeared to signal he had an issue with Tielemans initially set to be replaced.
Youri Tielemans, 5 – Sloppy in possession as he gave it away far too often with misplaced passes and didn’t impose himself in midfield at all well enough. Big opportunity for him tonight to come in and show his experience and quality in big European games, but didn’t deliver as we needed him to.
Nicolo Zaniolo, 6 – Found pockets of space often and looked threatening with his play on the ball. His long-range strike led to our opener, and it’s just about finding that consistency in his performances now to be a decisive creative spark for us.
John McGinn, 5 – Lasted an hour having struggled to get into the game. Again, it’s a trend that continues in that when he isn’t able to impose himself on games, we struggle as a group. Has to find ways to get stuck into the heart of the game, and perhaps being more advanced or out wide doesn’t allow him to do that.
Jhon Duran, 7 – Positive from the youngster again as he bagged his fourth goal of the season. Did well to apply the finish for his goal, and he was a threat thereafter too as he forced the Legia goalkeeper into a top save. More chances coming his way.
Substitutes:
Douglas Luiz, 6 – Perhaps struggled initially to get up to the speed of the game but couldn’t have the desired impact even though he kept us ticking over in midfield.
Ollie Watkins, 5 – Didn’t offer much in the latter stages, but was also left frustrated by teammates taking the wrong option late on.
Moussa Diaby, 5.5 – Lively presence with his movement, but spurned the one good chance that came his way after doing well to break in behind the Legia defence.
Matty Cash, 5.5 – Should have started in truth, as although his final ball let him down, he looked solid defensively and showed good energy to get forward.
Jacob Ramsey, 5.5 – Great to see him back and he did well with his runs forward and cut backs to create openings for others. Swiped at a good chance though that could have earned us a point with his effort going well wide.
