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Villa player ratings vs Juventus: Influential duo impressive in battling draw

Aston Villa were held to a goalless draw by Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday night, but there were some encouraging signs in our performance.

Although Villa showed more control and structure in this display compared to recent weeks, there was a lack of quality in the final third as we couldn’t find a breakthrough, albeit there was a soft decision that went against us in injury time as we had a winning goal chalked off for a foul.

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That said, it was a more solid performance with a much-needed clean sheet, and it’s an important point in our quest to advance to the knockout stage as we recovered from our defeat to Club Brugge last time out.

It’s hoped it’s an outing that we can build on as we look to end our winless streak this weekend, but there were certainly positives to take as we continued our strong start in Europe.

Aston Villa player ratings vs Juventus:

Emiliano Martinez, 8.5 – Didn’t have a great deal to do as Juventus were limited to efforts from distance for the most part, but he produced a sensational save in the second half to deny Conceicao from close range to show why he is still the best in the world. Decisive save that ultimately helped secure our point.

Matty Cash, 7 – Defended really well to deny the visitors any joy down that flank in what was his Champions League debut, Still needs to show more quality in possession as we are forced wide a lot more now in our build-up play, but a solid shift.

Diego Carlos, 7 – Much improved from the Brazilian centre-half as he kept things tight in defence and was tidy in possession. It remains to be seen if Ezri Konsa returns this weekend, but it was encouraging to see Carlos step up in a big game again.

Pau Torres, 7 – Continues to add composure and class to our play on the ball as he is vital to how we want to play, and similarly to Carlos, kept a lid on the Juventus attack to restrict their threat in central areas.

Lucas Digne, 6.5 – Unfortunate with a great free-kick that struck the crossbar as he had multiple efforts from just outside the box. Was troubled by Conceicao all night and was beaten quite a few times, but credit to him for sticking to the task and preventing him from having clear opportunities.

Boubacar Kamara, 8 – Showcased why he’s so important for us as he’s a composed and commanding presence in midfield. Broke up play, won duels and kept things ticking over in possession, it’s great to see him back and hopefully he goes from strength to strength now.

Youri Tielemans, 7 – Hampered by an early booking which likely impacted his game thereafter, but worked hard in the midfield battle and although he isn’t quite at his best at the moment, he continues to play a pivotal role with his vision and distribution.

Leon Bailey, 6.5 – Better signs from the Villa winger as he looks to be growing in confidence and is willing to take his man on. Still lacking quality with his end product barring one instance where he almost provided an assist for McGinn, but he’s hopefully on a path to getting back to form consistently.

John McGinn, 6 – Tireless effort from the Villa skipper as usual, as his work off the ball was important in helping us keep our shape and structure, while also trying to apply pressure on Juventus when they had the ball. Almost broke the deadlock with a good chance in the second half, but couldn’t convert.

Morgan Rogers, 6 – Lacking the sharpness and touch that made him such a stand-out player for us in the early part of the season, and it’s unclear if that’s just a dip in form or fatigue. Got into good positions at times despite being shifted across to the left, but couldn’t impose himself or making a decisive contribution.

Ollie Watkins, 6 – Worked hard off the ball both in and out of possession, but didn’t get the service to really provide a threat up top. Villa had some success when going long and finding Watkins in the channels, but his impact was certainly limited against a strong Juve defence.

Substitutes:

Jhon Duran, N/A

Ross Barkley, N/A

Jaden Philogene, N/A

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