Aston Villa secured a goalless draw at Ajax in the first leg of our Europa Conference League round-of-16 meeting after a cagey encounter in Amsterdam.
Unai Emery opted to make five changes for the away leg as he rotated ahead of our clash with Tottenham on Sunday, but it was still a strong Villa line-up that had the potential to pick up a win.
READ MORE: Emery in search of ideal balance as Villa face decisive week
However, we struggled to find our rhythm and control throughout the game, but ultimately it’s a decent result as we look ahead to the return leg at home.
Ezri Konsa will play no part after receiving two bookings, while Pau Torres was replaced at half-time and Nicolo Zaniolo will also miss out due to suspension.
On the basis of what we saw in this meeting though, we’ll go into the second leg at Villa Park in confident mood of being able to advance to the next round.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Ajax:
Emi Martinez, 8 – Superb in his positioning and ability to sweep up danger as Ajax looked to be a threat over the top throughout. Made two important saves and secured a vital clean sheet.
Ezri Konsa, 6 – Will be frustrated with his sending off as he was solid for the most part, but there are question marks over the referee’s decision-making as he didn’t have control as the game became scrappier.
Clement Lenglet, 7 – Shifted across to his more natural position in the second half, but was calm and composed over the course of the clash as he produced a positive shift.
Pau Torres, 6 – The Spaniard looked to orchestrate in the first half as we struggled to play our way out from the back, while he made some timely defensive interventions. It’s hoped the decision to replace him at half-time wasn’t injury related.
Lucas Digne, 6 – Pushed forward and provided width throughout, but wasn’t able to be more effective in the attacking phase to help us build sustained pressure, pin Ajax back and carve out opportunities.
Moussa Diaby, 6 – Looked lively in the opening stages as he had the chance to run at defenders from his role on the right flank and caused problems. However, much like the rest of the team, his threat became more limited as the game went on.
Tim Iroegbunam, 6 – Eventually replaced as he began to struggle with cramp, but it was a decent shift from the youngster to show that he can step in and play a role when Emery needs him.
Douglas Luiz, 6.5 – Showed his usual class and technical quality with his passing and movement in midfield, but it wasn’t his best as we struggled collectively to build our play in the way we wanted to.
Morgan Rogers, 6 – Bit of an inconsistent showing as he looked bright on the ball in patches, but wasn’t overly involved before being replaced in the second half.
Youri Tielemans, 6 – Played a limited role in this one as given our struggles to control possession and dictate, he wasn’t able to make the difference in the final third when finding pockets of space in the final third.
Ollie Watkins, 6 – Showed his improved hold-up play at times and provided movement up top, but he was starved of service and didn’t really offer much of a goalscoring threat. He looked dangerous with the early ball aimed at him over the top, but Villa didn’t exploit that enough as a back-up plan.
Substitutes:
Matty Cash, 6 – A solid shift off the bench as he added fresh impetus and energy on the right side after coming on at half-time as Villa went with a reshuffle at the back.
John McGinn, 7 – We improved in the second half after his introduction on the hour mark, as he added energy and tenacity in midfield to help us better impose ourselves on the game. Showed his versatility in the latter stages too to fill in where needed.
Leon Bailey, 6 – Couldn’t make the difference as we just weren’t able to get him into dangerous areas often enough. When he did advance with the ball and pose a threat, lacked the final bit of quality to unlock the Ajax defence.
Nicolo Zaniolo, 5 – Booked shortly after coming on which in turn will see him miss the second leg due to suspension. Didn’t offer much.
Alex Moreno, 6 – Freshness and energy down the left side, but couldn’t help us find the all-important breakthrough.
Ref not up to the job