Aston Villa made it back-to-back pre-season wins after seeing off Spartak Trnava on Saturday, making it six goals scored and none conceded in our opening two games of the summer.
It was another solid run-out for Villa after defeating Walsall in midweek, as it proved to be a good test on the road to help with our preparations for the upcoming campaign.
READ MORE: Villa player ratings vs Spartak Trnava: Quartet impress in promising pre-season win
Goals from Leon Bailey, Morgan Rogers and Cameron Archer sealed the victory as Unai Emery once again named a strong matchday squad, while also opting to make 11 changes at half-time again as he shared out minutes, and importantly gave almost every player an opportunity to build their fitness and stake their claim for a place in his starting XI plans.
Villa head to the USA now for the next leg of our pre-season, but it’s all positive thus far, and it’s hoped that it continues that way as we gradually edge closer to the new Premier League season next month.
Positive Nedeljkovic continuing to impress
After making his first Villa appearance at Walsall and making a positive first impression, Kosta Nedeljkovic continued that theme on Saturday with another promising display.
The 18-year-old is consistently positive with his intent in possession, as he’ll often use his first touch to set himself and get the ball out of his feet before pushing forward at every opportunity.
He still needs to improve the defensive part of his game, and that will come with hard work in training alongside Emery and his coaching staff and gaining valuable experience through playing, but he’s certainly standing out at this early stage and putting pressure on Matty Cash for that starting role at right-back.
Gauci making his case to be second choice
It was good to see Joe Gauci get the nod for the first half in this one, as it’s hopefully a gradual build up to the Australian international becoming the chief back-up option behind Emiliano Martinez.
He looked assured and commanding in his box when dealing with deliveries into the area, and he showcased patience and accuracy with his distribution as he invited the press before keeping it simple to help us build our play out from the back.
Not only are those good signs on a personal level in that he’s adapting and understanding the demands on him from Emery, but his ability to execute in-game will be crucial to establishing himself ahead of Robin Olsen in the pecking order.
Rogers ready for lead role for Villa
After making a stunning impact last season after his arrival in January, Rogers looks set to build on that and not only continue to impress, but grow into a leading role for Villa.
Aside from his goals, of which he’s now scored three in 90 minutes on the pitch, the 21-year-old is looking sharp and increasingly confident. His movement off the ball is excellent as he has the ability to find pockets of space between the lines to make things happen, and crucially, he wants the ball at all times to influence the game.
The hope is that he has a big season ahead of him as he continues to develop and mature, and all the signs so far suggest that he’s relishing the responsibility that might come his way and he’s undoubtedly got the talent and faith from Emery to become a fundamental influence. His signing looks more and more like an inspired bit of business from the club.
Barkley influence immediate, role clear
It hasn’t taken him long, but Ross Barkley looks to be settling in just fine into the Villa midfield after consecutive impressive displays.
The 30-year-old has clearly been tasked with dropping back, picking up possession and using his composure and technical ability to keep us ticking and to progress our play up the pitch either through passing or driving forward himself.
It is effectively the role that Douglas Luiz had, but Barkley has picked up the technical and tactical requirements quickly, and he looks to be more than capable of carrying out Emery’s instructions effectively and consistently.
Pre-season to ramp up with USA tour
With two pre-season games now ticked off, the Villa squad will travel to the US in the coming days ahead of three pre-season friendlies to be played between July 28 and August 3.
The bulk of our preparation will be done during this period as it’s an intense training and playing schedule, while our international players and additional new summer signings will join the group and raise the level of quality and competitiveness.
Villa have looked pretty impressive thus far and our squad depth looks to be much improved, but games against Columbus Crew, RB Leipzig and Club America will likely provide us with plenty more answers and indications of what to expect from Emery and the players this season.
We wrap up our schedule with two marquee friendlies against Athletic Bilbao and Borussia Dortmund, and those contests will be the truest test of our capabilities over this pre-season schedule given the level of the opposition and the advanced stage of our preparations heading into the new campaign.
Morgan “Zizou” Rogers