Aston Villa impressed in our 2-1 win over West Ham Utd on the opening weekend of the Premier League, but there was a decisive factor behind the victory.
Villa were dominant and in control for the opening 30 minutes or so, as we dictated tempo and possession, and looked a real threat on the counter attack with our swift and fluid build-up play.
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There was a hint of frustration at half-time though that we hadn’t taken advantage of being in such a commanding position, as we lacked a clinical edge to our play to extend our lead. That was exacerbated after the Hammers rallied just before the break, with Lucas Paqueta bagging an equaliser from the penalty spot.
As the second half played out, there was a sense that the encounter could go either way, but from the 62nd minute onwards, Unai Emery showed why his in-game management is another reason as to why he’s one of the best in the business.
West Ham made adjustments to their set-up in the second half and pressed us more effectively, but after the introduction of Jacob Ramsey and Jhon Duran, shortly followed by Ian Maatsen and Jaden Philogene, Villa were able to find a winner and showcased our impressive new-found strength in depth.
Kosta Nedeljkovic also came on in the latter stages, while Diego Carlos, Ross Barkley and Emiliano Buendia were unused substitutes. Further, neither Enzo Barrenechea nor Samuel Iling-Junior made the matchday squad, and Emery has confirmed that both Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara are expected back next month.
That level of competition and the quality on our bench hasn’t been there since Emery was appointed, and it was clear that one of his priorities this summer was to continue building a more robust, athletic, physical and younger squad to not only compete on multiple fronts, but to have different tactical solutions and options to suit various game situations.
It’s early days of course, but the early signs are promising given the quality we were able to bring on, and Maatsen, Ramsey and Duran ultimately combined for our winner, which was not only a decisive passage of play, but a beautifully crafted goal too.
At times last season, Emery struggled to even fill his bench. Admittedly, our injury woes contributed significantly to that, but we consistently had two goalkeepers on the sidelines as well as a string of Academy players with very little experience and who were simply not ready to come on and make the impact required in such high-profile games.
In contrast, we have experience, energy, youth and quality in reserve now across various positions and roles, and while we’ve already seen how important it can be, it will continue to be so throughout the campaign, not only in games, but as Emery rotates and tries to keep everyone fresh.
The Villa boss has noted several times previously the importance of building a squad. He has made no secret of his desire to have two quality options in every position, so as to allow him to play his style of play and maintain the same structure and identity regardless of personnel.
We’ve had to make sacrifices along the way with certain players that he’d surely loved to have kept, but it’s hoped that the group that he’s assembled now, hopefully with further reinforcements to come before the transfer deadline, is good enough, and deep enough, to allow him to take us to the next level and build on last season.
Villa practically crawled over the line last year given our injury setbacks and the fatigue that set in for players who were asked to play week in and week out as well as in Europe in midweek.
While it’s a pointless thought in some ways given other factors could have influenced what followed, Villa had a chance to go top of the Premier League around Christmas time last year, such was the strength of our start to the campaign despite key absentees already at that stage.
We didn’t have enough to sustain it that time round, hopefully things will be different this season with Emery continuing to build and mould the squad into his own.
HAS JHON DURAN JUST WON IT FOR VILLA?! 💥
The score now sits at 2-1 with ten minutes of the 90 to play! pic.twitter.com/fwvZOQYQsf
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 17, 2024
I agree we are looking much better now but let’s hope the reinforcements that you allude to materialise because we definitely need another quality striker and possible a CB before the window closes. I’ve said it before if Duran stays and I hope he does why not go for Tammy Abraham at around 20m I know he has an injury record but we all know what he’s capable of and in todays market he’s a no brainer at that valuation must be worth a punt