Aston Villa booked their spot in the next round of the Carabao Cup with a 2-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night, thanks to goals from Emiliano Buendia and Jhon Duran.
It was a difficult first half as Villa struggled to get going and find our usual rhythm and quality in attack, and so going into the half-time break goalless, Unai Emery had much to ponder.
READ MORE: What Unai Emery said in assessment of Villa’s win over Wycombe in Carabao Cup
Fortunately though, we were eventually able to find a breakthrough and extend our lead through Buendia’s header and Duran’s penalty, and although the hosts did score a late goal, it wasn’t enough to deny us our spot in the draw for the next round.
Emery rotates, crucial to manage squad
As expected, Emery made multiple changes to his starting line-up, and it was the right strategy as we look to manage the squad, keep everyone fit and lessen the risk of injuries.
Key individuals such as Ollie Watkins, Youri Tielemans and Ezri Konsa didn’t even make the trip as they were given the night off, and hopefully they’ll benefit from that heading into the weekend when we face Ipswich.
It will be an ongoing process for the Villa boss to keep on top of, as he’ll want to avoid a similar scenario to last season where we started to run on empty in the latter stages of the campaign. With the depth available to him now though, it’s hoped that we can last the course and compete at a high level consistently throughout the year.
Memorable night for Emi Buendia
What a brilliant night for Buendia. Not only did he make his first start at senior level since May 2023, but he wore the captain’s armband for the night and proceeded to score our all-important opener.
It’s been a tough road back for the 27-year-old after his serious knee injury last year, but after a gruelling rehabilitation process, he’s now back and at Emery’s disposal this season as he looks to make up for lost time and provide a vital contribution.
Aside from his excellent goal, he showed good signs with his movement and ability to find pockets of space in the final third, and that will hopefully arm us with another attacking dynamic to our play that will be key to breaking teams down in the weeks and months ahead.
Jhon Duran shows positive signs in starting role
After starring off the bench to start this season, Duran was finally rewarded with a starting berth in this game, and the result ultimately ended up being the same as he scored our decisive winning goal.
It was a well-taken penalty, which he himself won, albeit perhaps it was a contentious decision, and so his goalscoring form continues as he builds more confidence and belief both in himself and as part of the team.
Importantly though, the real test was to see what he could do as part of the structure and style of the team in leading the line. Villa struggled for most of the encounter to find top gear, but Duran’s early movement and ability to create openings by feeding off his understanding with his teammates was encouraging, and further evidence that he’s maturing and executing what Emery’s asking from him.
Important minutes for players pushing for bigger part
Intertwined with the point above, it was a good night for the likes of Kosta Nedeljkovic, Ian Maatsen and Ross Barkley, all of whom are pushing for a bigger role in the side.
They all produced positive displays, and so with our fixture schedule set to ramp up either side of the upcoming international break, Emery will hopefully feel confident in their ability to step in and produce when needed and won’t hesitate to rest others if he feels it necessary.
Further, it was also a valuable experience for our youngsters as they continue to develop and take on board Emery’s demands, while Leon Bailey would have benefitted from the run-out to continue to build his fitness after his recent injury layoff.
Villa still in hunt for trophy amid talk of priorities
It’s fair to say that the Carabao Cup is at the bottom of the priority list for Villa this season, with Emery even suggesting as much in his pre-match interviews.
However, he also insisted that it’s another opportunity to win silverware and qualify for Europe, and so he will want to advance and compete for a trophy to tick that box off too having singled that out as an objective he has when joining the club.
As the level of opposition becomes more challenging, we’re likely to see a stronger Villa XI take to the pitch. While of course we would prefer success in the Premier League and Champions League this year, there’s a shorter path in this competition to achieving that particular goal, and so it’s hoped that we continue to take this competition seriously if we can advance to the latter stages.
