After a stellar season last year, there was real intrigue and optimism over what Ross Barkley could add to this Aston Villa side for Unai Emery.
The 30-year-old’s renaissance for Luton Town was impressive, as was the evolution and development of his game and role having entered into a different stage of his career.
READ MORE: Key Villa ace primed to be leading influence for Emery as top form continues
It’s a very different Barkley to the one who spent the 2020/21 season with us on loan from Chelsea, and he looks to be a much-improved version who has matured, looks comfortable and confident in his ability, and already has a very clear role in Emery’s plans.
There has been a common trend through his first two pre-season outings, as Barkley has been deployed in a deeper midfield position, where he has been tasked with picking up possession and essentially dictating our play either through advancing with the ball himself or displaying his vision and passing range to keep us ticking over.
Albeit the opposition hasn’t been at the highest level thus far, he’s been very effective in dropping back and finding space in front of the Villa defence, as seen in the image below which came in the build-up to our second goal against Spartak Trnava, as it gives him time to spot a pass and either break the lines or play in a teammate in behind.
On this occasion, his impressive chemistry with Morgan Rogers was on display, but the level of composure and technical ability that Barkley is showcasing thus far is really promising, as he’ll likely have an important part to play in filling the void left behind by Douglas Luiz in that deeper midfield pivot.
Admittedly, he has been loose with his passing at times too and so he’ll need to tidy that up to be more consistent, but at this stage of pre-season, it’s more about looking for trends and an ability to fit into this Villa structure and way of play under Emery as he goes through the adaptation process this summer.
The expectation is that Villa will add more in terms of new signings in this transfer window to further strengthen the squad, and while Amadou Onana is likely to complete his move to join us in the coming days, there is a sense that we arguably still lack creativity in midfield to balance that with the physicality and athleticism that we’ve already added.
Barkley’s versatility will also make him a key option for Emery, but it’s great to see promising early indications that the Villa boss and his recruitment team have added another player who looks to be a great fit both in terms of what he adds in his specific role and also within the system and style of play that we’ve adopted.
