Aston Villa concluded their pre-season schedule with a 2-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, with our full focus now on the Premier League season.
Two quick-fire goals in the first-half put the hosts in control, as they dominated possession throughout the opening 45 minutes and eventually found their breakthroughs.
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While Villa did improve after the break, it wasn’t enough to avoid a fourth defeat in seven pre-season games this summer, but it was another important and useful test for Unai Emery and the players, as we gear up for another big season both domestically and in Europe.
Our starting line-up perhaps indicated what the team will look like at West Ham Utd next Saturday evening, but time will tell who has impressed Emery, and what set-up the Villa boss believes will give us the best possible chance of defeating the Hammers in our season opener.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Dortmund:
Emiliano Martinez, 6 – Important boost to see him return to the side for the first time this summer. Didn’t have too much to do, but vital he had a chance to settle back in and reintegrate ahead of our first competitive game of the season.
Kosta Nedeljkovic, 7.5 – The youngster has emerged as one of the biggest positives of our pre-season schedule. Never makes any rash tackles, looks composed and patient with his defensive play as his positioning and shape is key to limiting threat, while his decision-making in possession continues to impress too.
Ezri Konsa, 6 – Similarly to Martinez, great to see him back and getting some minutes before the season starts. Looked a bit off the pace and gave away the penalty for the first goal, but important for him to play and get that sharpness back.
Pau Torres, 5.5 – Struggled in this one as with Villa looking to him to help us beat the high press and play our way out of trouble, Dortmund targeted him and forced him into several errors. On him to improve and learn from that, but also the team needs to be more adaptable to in-game situations.
Lucas Digne, 5.5 – Played a dangerous ball across the box in the second half and did ok defensively throughout. With Villa struggling to keep the ball, he had a limited impact on the game but was beaten on occasion down his side.
Amadou Onana, 5.5 – Did well at times to win possession back and break up Dortmund’s play in our half, but overall, wasn’t particularly influential on proceedings as he struggled to impose himself and give us control.
Youri Tielemans, 6 – Showed some really bright moments with his ability to receive the ball under pressure, turn and play the ball quickly up the pitch to get us on the front-foot and attacking. That link between defence and attack will be pivotal for us, and the Belgian international played that role really well at times.
Jaden Philogene, 5.5 – Produced one dangerous delivery which Ramsey arguably should have put away, but that aside, struggled to get into the game. Became progressively sloppy and lost possession cheaply a few times in the second half.
John McGinn, 6 – A battling performance as he gets back up to speed fully, and he did well on occasion to turn with the ball in advanced areas and attack space to give us a threat. However, all too inconsistent still as he, and the rest of the team, look to find their stride.
Jacob Ramsey, 6 – Looked a threat at times with his movement in and around the box, and having gradually built up his minutes, he’s now seemingly ready to feature more heavily and regularly which is one of the biggest positives to come out of pre-season.
Morgan Rogers, 6 – Lacked service given Dortmund dominated possession and limited our attacking threat, but he did show his quality at times, whether that was driving forward with the ball at his feet or linking things together to get us moving up the pitch. Will flourish in a more natural role rather than up front leading the line.
Substitutes:
Joe Gauci, 6 – Untroubled for the most part but came on and made his contribution to help keep things tight at the back. A promising summer for him, which has hopefully established him as our No.2 behind Martinez.
Lamare Bogarde, 6 – As Villa grew into the second half and started to retain possession more effectively, Bogarde showed his quality on the ball and looked assured throughout in another positive shift.
Ian Maatsen, 5.5 – Still lacking match fitness and sharpness, and it showed. However, he stuck to his task defensively, and over time, he’ll surely be the preferred option at left-back given he adds more quality in both phases of the game.
Ross Barkley, 6 – Helped us use the ball more efficiently and play with more fluidity in the latter stages, as it remains to be seen just how big a role he plays for us to start the season having seen Tielemans and Onana establish a partnership in our midfield pivot.
Leon Bailey, 5.5 – Couldn’t do too much as we struggled to create without the ball, but he’s hopefully fully fit and injury-free off the back of pre-season, and ready to build on his impressive campaign last year.
Cameron Archer, 5 – Wasteful late on which was disappointing, as he has to be ruthless if he wants to be considered a key option behind Ollie Watkins.
Enzo Barrenechea, N/A
Alex Moreno, N/A
Emiliano Buendia, N/A
