Aston Villa picked up a 3-0 win over Walsall in our first pre-season outing of the summer, and Unai Emery would have been pleased with what he saw.
Naturally, at this stage of our preparations, there likely isn’t too much emphasis put on the result as the focus will be on fitness and performance as we gear things towards being ready for our Premier League season opener next month.
READ MORE: Villa player ratings vs Walsall: Rogers bags classy brace, new trio impress in pre-season win
However, it’s also an important period for players to impress and stake their claim for a bigger role in the upcoming campaign, while it’s vital to see the team build confidence and rhythm in their play to continue to develop and improve.
There were signs of all of that on Wednesday night at Walsall, and although the challenges will become more difficult as the pre-season schedule progresses and Emery will want to see more from the group as our international and injured players come back into the fold too, there was still plenty to analyse.
What will Emery have taken from the performance?
With the level of the opposition in mind and the fact that this was the first pre-season game of the summer, probably not too much.
Although the Villa boss is big on detail and meticulous in his planning and analysis, he’ll likely be pleased with the run-out to help his players with their fitness levels.
However, there were passages where we played with rhythm and control, while our new signings look to be bedding in well. In turn, he’ll no doubt still have plenty to take from the game to work on at the training ground and in our upcoming games.
Morgan Rogers is ready for bigger role
Having emerged as a key figure in the second half of last season after his arrival in January, it was felt that injuries and absences in the squad thrust Rogers into a bigger role than perhaps he or Emery expected so soon after his move.
Nevertheless, he relished that opportunity and showcased his quality to immediately prove that it was an astute signing from the club, but now comes an even bigger challenge.
Rogers has set the bar high already, and he’ll now have to build on that and continue to be an influential figure in the Villa side to take himself – and us – to the next level. It’s early of course, but he’s started pre-season on the right note having set the tone with his performance in this game.
Ross Barkley helps fill void
The expectation is that Villa are still going to be active in the transfer market to effectively replace what Douglas Luiz provided us with previously.
While we’ve added physicality, solidity and technical ability in midfield, we’ve lot that touch of creativity and attacking flair that will be needed to unlock teams moving forward.
Ross Barkley was excellent at Luton Town last season in progressing the ball up the pitch and adding a spark from midfield, and he showed glimpses of that at Walsall, while also displaying great vision and passing to dictate and pull the strings for us in the first half.
Nedeljkovic to push Cash at right-back?
Many perhaps expected that Villa would be in the market for another right-back this summer, particularly amid speculation over Matty Cash’s future last month.
While the Polish international is still with us and possibly looks more likely to stay now, he could face significant competition from our January recruit Kosta Nedeljkovic if the talented youngster can build on his first Villa outing.
Nedeljkovic looked solid defensively and pushed forward to add an attacking outlet and width to our play in an impressive non-competitive debut, and it will be fascinating to see his development in the coming weeks ahead of the new season.
Barrenechea could be midfield orchestrator Emery wants
Again, it’s obviously still very early days, but it’s always great when a new signing makes a positive first impression, not only for us as supporters, but for the player himself as it builds confidence and belief.
Enzo Barrenechea came on in the second half and arguably looked immediately at home. The 23-year-old showed impressive positional play and awareness to find space between the lines to receive the ball, giving him time to look up and show a varied and accurate passing range too.
He’ll hopefully develop and grow as pre-season goes on, and although he isn’t necessarily the pass-machine midfield orchestrator that we’ll heavily rely on, he showed he is capable of providing us with the control and composure that Emery so highly values.