Blues’ shortcomings are laid bare but gap is far smaller than it was....
ASTON Villa overcome arch-rivals Birmingham City 4-2 at Villa Park in a pulsating derby. Jonathan Kodjia, Jack Grealish, Tammy Abraham and Alan Hutton ensured Lukas Jutkiewicz and Kristian Pedersen’s efforts on enemy turf counted for nothing.
Here are some observations from a Second City classic...
Rarely do games between Villa and Blues live up to the hype. In terms of passion and raw emotion, few fixtures on these shores can match up to the Second City derby, but the quality in recent years has been woeful.
Sunday’s showdown was different, though. Meetings between the two Birmingham clubs are often breathless and impossible to take your eye off, as was this one, but the ability of the players on show wasn’t shackled by the expectation in the stands or nervousness on the touchline.
Both teams had game-plans which were quite clearly thrown out of the window at various stages.
Villa wouldn’t have planned to concede the early ground and fall behind, while Blues – a team previously lauded for their solidity – couldn’t have envisaged a three-minute lapse costing them two first-half goals.
With Blues missing mercurial talisman Jota and a fully-fit Jacques Maghoma, it was clear Villa had far more talent within their armoury.
Both clubs seem to be in very capable hands. Dean Smith – a boyhood Villan – and the incredibly astute Garry Monk are presiding over two promising campaigns.
It’s remarkable that Villa already appear to be a team very much in Smith’s image, despite the fact he’s had just over a month to work with the players.
They are now well-placed to have a push in the second half of the season and, given their already impressive squad, would you bet against them?
Blues have tailed off in recent weeks – most probably due to their ridiculously thin squad – but Monk is well on track to lead them to their best finish in three seasons.
As soon as Gary Gardner agreed to join Blues on loan he all but waved goodbye to any chance of rekindling the Villa magic which once made him hated at St Andrew’s.
The 26-year-old wasn’t involved against his parent club but he was at Villa Park cheering on his temporary employers.
Rumours of Gardner in the away end were wide of the mark but he did stroll down the Villa Park touchline, kitted out in Blues gear. His long-term future may not be with Blues, but it certainly won’t be with Villa.
The result went with the form book. Villa arrived off the back of their best win and performance of the season, while Blues are the shakiest they have been all campaign – and Monk was unable to start his three most creative players in Jota, Maghoma and Gardner.
What we witnessed was a limited Blues side overpowered by arguably the most talented group of players in the C ha m p i o n s h i p. Blues must concede Villa rule this city at the moment but the gap is far smaller than it was last season, or the season before.