Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was content with our performance against Everton on Sunday, but bemoaned our lack of a clinical edge in the final third.
Villa were held to a goalless draw on Merseyside by the Toffees, despite having the better of possession and creating more dangerous openings as we controlled the contest for long periods.
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However, we were unable to find that all-important breakthrough to secure more than a point, and so it was a frustrating afternoon as we had hoped to continue to solidify our place in the top-four in the Premier League standings with a win.
Despite the disappointment of not finding that goal though, Emery was keen to focus on the positives of the Villa display, and felt as though we did a lot of things right given we limited Everton’s threat for the most part and did everything right aside from taking one of our chances.
“It is not enough now with how we are facing the table because we prepared the match thinking to win and thinking to be very demanding and respecting them,” he told the media, as per BirminghamLive. “The way we did it showing and everything we practiced before to do as best as possible on the pitch, we did.
“We conceded one chance in the first half and always we needed before and we will need the goalkeeper. He saved very good actions.
“Then, in 90 minutes we controlled the game. We stopped them, their high press and aggressiveness coming to us. We stopped it with good positioning and being calm, trying to get with good passes and trying to drive with the ball.
“We controlled the game like we wanted and we created more than them and maybe more than usual away. We weren’t clinical and maybe six times we got into the box.
“We deserve more than we achieved but I am happy because we are increasing our level and progressively getting better and we are being very demanding of how we want to build the team, our structure tactically and I think we are in this process.
“We are in the table with 42 points and we had the chance for 45, one point is not enough but I have to accept it. I think the players were feeling comfortable and confident. I think the players worked in the idea I am trying to create.”
Villa now have a break before our next outing, with our FA Cup fourth-round tie against Chelsea coming on January 26, before we resume league action at home against Newcastle Utd four days later.
While that will hopefully give us time to recharge and recover injured players with Pau Torres and Jacob Ramsey absent this weekend, it’s imperative that we get our sharpness back in front of goal and get back to being clinical in the final third to pair with our control and possession.
Emery will no doubt meticulously analyse our performance and pinpoint to the players what we did well and not so well, as although a clean sheet and controlled performance are big positives, it certainly still feels like dropped points and a missed opportunity given the win was there if we had shown more quality.