Aston Villa were held to a 1-1 draw by Sunderland on Sunday as we were unable to secure all three points despite our hosts being reduced to 10 men.
Villa took the lead through Matty Cash in the 67th minute after Reinildo Mandava was given a straight red card for lashing out at the Villa defender in the first half, but that lead didn’t last long as Wilson Isidor secured a share of the spoils for the home side shortly after we had broken the deadlock.
READ MORE: Villa player ratings vs Sunderland: Woeful display ends in draw vs 10 men
That in turn extends our winless streak to five games to start the Premier League campaign as our struggles continue, and concern continues to grow over our poor performances and results as neither Unai Emery nor the players appear capable of finding the necessary solutions currently.
There’s a big week ahead now with back-to-back home games against Bologna and Fulham, and time will tell if we can get back on track or if our problems will continue.
Missed chances costly as Villa struggle
At a time when we’re struggling for goals and are having to rely on goalkeeper blunders to help us, when chances do fall our way, we can’t afford to be so wasteful.
As seen in the images below, Evann Guessand and Ollie Watkins had two big chances in the first and second half respectively, and despite both being positioned perfectly in the heart of the box to apply a finish, neither could find the back of the net.
It simply wasn’t good enough at this level as if we’re not ruthless, we’re keeping the opposition in the game, and it ultimately came back to haunt us as this should have been a much-needed win.
Woeful defending for equaliser
Having defended well for the most part in the first half, the fact that Villa still came under pressure after the break against 10 men and Sunderland arguably had the better chances summed us up on Sunday.
However, there is absolutely no excuse for the equaliser itself.
As seen in the image below, Granit Xhaka was left completely alone with nine Villa players around him to cushion a header into Isidor’s path who went on to apply the finish, with Tyrone Mings playing him onside while both Cash and Ezri Konsa weren’t switched on enough to cut out the danger. The ball-watching in this image though is utterly shambolic.
Rogers, Watkins should be dropped
Whether it’s down to his faith and belief in the players who have got us to this point or a lack of effective alternative options, Emery has to now make changes to his starting line-up and take out players who aren’t performing.
There’s an element of sympathy for Watkins as he hasn’t had much quality service over the last five games, but he should be burying that late chance on Sunday and everything would look a lot different.
As for Rogers, it’s hard to really understand his drop off. He’s rightly acknowledged that he needs to evolve and adapt his game as defenders are now better prepared for him, but we’re seeing nothing from him on the pitch in the application of that. He continuously loses possession, offers no creativity or threat in the final third and has become a passenger. That should result in a spell on the bench at this point and giving Harvey Elliott or Jadon Sancho a chance instead.
Emery critical, a more honest assessment
Over the past few weeks we’ve heard Emery insist that we’re improving, and the players have stuck to a script about how we just need to stick with it and we’ll be ok. It was entirely refreshing to hear the Villa boss take on a more critical and frustrated tone this weekend.
Emery conceded that it hasn’t been good enough, that he’s frustrated, disappointed and a little bit worried about the loss of our identity and style. He even criticised the players for being lazy, which they were for the goal in particular, but cited a lack of confidence as a major problem. It’s good to hear that addressed, but now we must find the solutions.
A dip in form is understandable in terms of our struggles in the final third as sometimes it just doesn’t click. However, not showing enough urgency, intensity, aggression or fight to win duels, impose ourselves on the opposition and grab control of the game is inexcusable.
Has this squad reached its ceiling?
Rather than call for questions to be asked of Emery, albeit he isn’t faultless in all this and has to show he’s got the answers too, personally, this comes down to whether or not there is enough left to give in this current squad.
There are worrying signs that there is a breakdown between the coach and the players as nothing we’re doing seems to be working for a sustained period and we look disjointed, while lacking rhythm, cohesion and ideas.
However, nine of the starting XI this past weekend were players signed before Emery arrived. It’s been talked about a lot so far this season and again, the current regime’s recruitment is also part of the problem, but it’s concerning to see that we’ve maybe hit a wall with the current group and we may have to ride out a difficult period this season before a rebuild can take place. Will that be with Emery still at the helm? I hope so. Villa are in a difficult spot right now, and it’s on the current players to find answers as the above points aren’t on Emery.
Want more Villa analysis? Subscribe to Talk Villa+ below for ad-free newsletters, exclusive articles and much more. The TalkVilla podcast is also now live, have a listen, and subscribe if you enjoy on Apple Podcasts or YouTube. UTV!
