Aston Villa fell to a heavy 5-1 defeat to Newcastle Utd at St James’ Park on Saturday, and the performances across the side were both poor and bitterly disappointing.
In a frantic start to the game, Moussa Diaby drew us level for a few minutes after scoring on his Premier League debut, but defensively, Villa were simply not good enough.
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Having conceded a number of poor and avoidable goals, Unai Emery will have plenty to reflect on and analyse this week, but both collectively and individually, we ultimately didn’t match the standard that was set last season.
The injury to Tyrone Mings undoubtedly had an impact on the players, and having already lost Emiliano Buendia to a serious setback this week, it was another major blow for Villa as our injury list continues to grow.
However, we have to deal with that adversity now and bounce back against Everton next weekend, as we learn from this humbling defeat and try to quickly move on and get back to winning ways.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Newcastle Utd:
Emiliano Martinez, 5 – Made a few important saves to keep the score down and looked furious with his backline on multiple occasions as we didn’t implement the high line effectively. Was booked after we got caught out again with it, and so he’ll be hugely frustrated with the defensive performance as a whole.
Matty Cash, 4 – Was troubled throughout in the defensive phase, as he continued to commit silly fouls and didn’t look comfortable. Also missed a huge chance with the score at 3-1 that could have changed things.
Ezri Konsa, 4 – Made some important interventions, but then a lapse in concentration gifted Newcastle a goal and made our task all the more difficult. Was part of our issues with the high line too as we didn’t use it effectively.
Tyrone Mings, 4.5 – Strong presence at the back as always, but lasted just 30 minutes as what looks like a serious injury saw him stretchered off in real pain. Villa haven’t yet confirmed the severity of the issue, but based on his reaction, he could be out for a while.
Lucas Digne, 4 – Decent cross that led to our goal, but similar to Cash in that he was shaky defensively and didn’t do enough with the ball. Big decision ahead for Emery in terms of how he sets us up at the back in the coming weeks to find the most balanced and impactful backline in both phases.
Leon Bailey, 4 – Did nothing of note in an attacking capacity to trouble Newcastle, and was caught out with some lazy defensive work. Raised concern over his inclusion in this one prior to kick-off, didn’t prove to be the right option.
Boubacar Kamara, 4 – Lost Tonali for the opening goal with some poor defensive play, and while he is tenacious and battles away in midfield, lost a number of challenges which saw us lose the midfield battle and lack control.
Douglas Luiz, 5 – Found it difficult overall given our lack of control in midfield, but showed good touches and played some great probing passes that found holes in the Newcastle defence.
John McGinn, 4.5 – Villa arguably have a better balance and are more effective when he’s on the right, and that was reflected in this game after he was too quiet on the opposite side in the first half. Replaced after an hour.
Moussa Diaby, 6 – A positive debut for the Frenchman as his movement in the final third was impressive. Showed quality with his finish to equalise early on, but couldn’t find a decisive touch thereafter. Should be pleased with his first appearance though.
Ollie Watkins, 5 – Worked hard off the ball to apply pressure up the pitch, and his flick on for Diaby was key as he bagged an assist. Limited otherwise though, as he wasn’t able to trouble the Newcastle defence as much as he did the last time the two sides met.
Substitutes:
Pau Torres, 5 – Defensively still needs to work on a few things and settle, but good in possession and will now have a big role to play with Mings likely out for a significant period of time.
Youri Tielemans, 4.5 – Showed good composure at times, but couldn’t influence proceedings at a level that changed the pattern of the game in our favour.
Diego Carlos, 4 – Important he steps up now as he could have a more prominent role to play too if Mings is sidelined. While it was all thrown together on Saturday as we simultaneously chased a game against a dangerous side, that made it really difficult to step in and be a solid presence, but will need to improve if he’s given the nod next week.
Philippe Coutinho, N/A
Jaden Philogene, N/A
