After seven years of disappointment in the FA Cup third round, Aston Villa finally ended that run with a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday evening.
It certainly wasn’t smooth sailing though at the Riverside Stadium, as Matty Cash’s 88th-minute deflected effort was needed to break the deadlock and ensure we advanced to the fourth round.
READ MORE: What Unai Emery said in assessment of Villa’s win vs Middlesbrough
Villa struggled throughout to find a way through as we lacked our usual quality in our build-up play and in the final third, and that in turn set up an uneasy situation late on away from home against a talented ‘Boro side.
Fortunately though, we found a way and secured the win, and it’s hoped that we can put together a strong cup run this year to complement our work in the Premier League and Europa Conference League.
Another important sign of progression under Emery
With the disappointment of last year’s defeat to Stevenage in mind in particular, this was a crucial hurdle to overcome for Villa and Emery given our poor run in the FA Cup in recent years.
That defeat last January was arguably the lowest point of Emery’s tenure thus far as he would have been bitterly disappointed to come up short in a competition we should harbour hopes of winning.
In turn, while it wasn’t convincing, a win’s a win at this early point in the FA Cup against a good side on the road, and so we’ll hopefully raise our level as we advance through the rounds.
Kamara shows his influence on return
Villa missed Boubacar Kamara’s influence and presence in midfield during his three-game suspension, and so it was always likely that we would benefit from his return this weekend.
The Frenchman was excellent throughout as not only did he constantly win duels and give us a foothold in midfield, he was accurate and swift with his passing to help retain possession and move us up the pitch to attack.
Villa have lacked balance, presence and control without him, and our performances have suffered as a result as we dropped points against Sheffield Utd and Man Utd. Having him back will be significant, and it will also help the likes of Douglas Luiz and John McGinn to have more freedom to be more impactful too from midfield too.
Villa still lacking something vs defensive sides
One slight concern though is that we’re still struggling to go through the gears against sides that opt to sit deep and in numbers to frustrate us and block off our usual lanes of attack.
We’ve seen Sheffield Utd and now Middlesbrough do it effectively having done their homework, and more teams will adopt this approach if we don’t find answers and ways to adapt.
On a more positive note, we showed better patience, maturity and poise in this game to avoid being hit on the counter attack and ultimately lose the game. However, it’s still a clear area for improvement as we look for a more clinical and ruthless edge to our play and to be more unpredictable by evolving our play.
Ramsey, Moreno yet to hit top form
Part of the issue detailed above is perhaps that our left-sided duo of Alex Moreno and Jacob Ramsey have yet to find their stride and rediscover their form from last season.
The pair have both come back from lengthy injury absences and so it will take time, but if we can get that dynamic going again to not only create dangerous openings down the left flank but also to stretch the pitch and create space inside for others, it will make an important difference against sides who are now packing the central areas.
Moreno has scored twice in 10 games since he returned from injury but is still searching for his first assist, while Ramsey still has just one goal which came against Brighton prior to his setback in October.
It’s arguably why Emery left both on for the entire game this weekend, particularly Ramsey, as he knows they need time and minutes to get back to their best, and to get back into rhythm and rebuild that chemistry consistently.
Duran still struggling to lessen drop off from Watkins
While his movement is good at times and he is willing to try his luck and threaten the opposition’s goal, we’re still seeing a significant drop off up top with Jhon Duran.
Now, it’s obviously not easy given what Ollie Watkins gives us in both phases of the game when he leads the line and how good he is doing it, but the nuances to his play on and off the ball make a significant difference to how we play as a unit.
Duran plays his role well off the bench as he brings energy and intensity as well as carrying a goal threat. However, if he wants to really fill that void when Watkins is rested, there is clearly a lot still to learn from a tactical perspective that makes us a more effective and dangerous attacking side.
That’s why we’ve seen him replaced early in Europe previously and why he didn’t last the entire game this weekend, and it’s hoped that if he does stay despite the current speculation, he can start to make a bigger impact when called upon.