Aston Villa secured a 2-1 advantage over Lille in the first leg of our Europa Conference League quarter-final tie ahead of a showdown in France next week.
It was always going to be imperative that Villa took a lead into the second leg as we looked to not only give ourselves a strong chance of advancing to the last four of the competition, but to also bounce back after our disappointment against Brentford last weekend.
READ MORE: What Unai Emery said in assessment of Villa’s 2-1 win vs Lille
Both those boxes were ticked, and although it wasn’t our most convincing or free-flowing performance of the season, the result is ultimately the most important thing at this stage of the campaign as we now switch our focus to domestic matters and a difficult trip to Arsenal on Sunday.
It was another memorable and enjoyable European night at Villa Park, and it’s hoped that this is just the start of regularly being involved in midweek action, with the view of being sat at the top table next year.
Emi Martínez plays vital role in victory
Villa had a number of big chances too, but Lille showed that we have to deal with their attacking threat better next week, as Emi Martínez put on a clinic in goalkeeping excellence.
The Argentine shot-stopper produced three world-class saves in 1v1 situations, while he also fended off Lille at various other points in the contest too as he kept us ahead.
Those interventions were huge as it was decisive to the outcome, but Villa can’t continue to allow those chances in the first place and keep relying on the World Cup winner to – quite literally – save us, time and time again.
Konsa at right-back continues to cause concern
It’s delivered positive results this season and Ezri Konsa’s versatility should be lauded, as he is playing a vital role for us in the absence of Matty Cash.
However, as we saw against Brentford and again in this game, it remains a weak point in our defence and opposition sides are clearly targeting it, knowing that they will have success.
Lille had a goal ruled out for offside as Konsa continues to drift inside and leave a lot of space at the back post, and coupled with the inability to shut down deliveries and overlapping threats down that side, we need to fix it until Cash comes back, as he will at least help restore a fundamental balance in the backline and play in his natural role.
Tielemans-Luiz midfield pairing – is it balanced enough?
Both Youri Tielemans and Douglas Luiz deserve credit for the impact that they had in both phases on Thursday night, as to their credit, they did win back possession well at times and showed quality in their distribution.
However, it was also far too easy for Lille to play through us – particularly in transition – as we lack both the physicality, athleticism and defensive solidity needed in at least one of that midfield pairing to provide a protective shield in front of the defence.
The loss of Boubacar Kamara has been huge, and although John McGinn continues to impress in a more advanced role, the Villa captain surely has to play alongside Tielemans against Arsenal with Luiz suspended, and that has to be a more permanent solution in order to give us a foothold in games and be more resolute defensively.
Pau Torres, the orchestrator
The signing of Pau Torres was a pivotal move for Emery and Villa, as the Spaniard showed his class once again in this one with his calmness and control in possession.
He did well defensively to limit Jonathan David, but when Villa need a cool head to show composure and help us play out from the back, it’s always Torres that stands up and delivers even when others around him are perhaps feeling the pressure.
The Spanish centre-half is a classy operator, an orchestrator at the back that others look to and lean on, and his passing in this game was a joy to watch at times as he continued to show patience and play positive passes with intent.
Massive night, test for Villa in France next week
Villa have shown maturity and determination throughout this European run thus far, and these are experiences that will be fundamental in our progression.
However, we face perhaps the most difficult test yet next week in Lille, as the Ligue 1 side will not only have belief that they can overturn their deficit given the chances that they created at Villa Park, but with their home crowd behind them, it promises to be a daunting atmosphere.
This is where trips to Legia Warsaw, Ajax and the like come into play and the Villa players need to draw on that experience and utilise it, and hopefully our European journey will continue beyond the quarter-finals this year.
