Villa blown off course by the perfect storm!
IT was a nightmare afternoon for Villa on Sunday as their closest Champions League rivals, Tottenham, won 4-0 at Villa Park.
Head coach Unai Emery also lost skipper John McGinn for three games after he was shown a straight red card for a reckless foul on Destiny Udogie. By that time, Villa were already two goals down and on the ropes. Rampant Spurs then added two more and are now only two points behind Villa. Villa’s goal difference also took a hit as Tottenham took the upper hand in that department – and they still have a game in hand, away against Chelsea, to come later. Here are the talking points...
n Villa showed too much respect
We are now fast approaching the business end of the season but Villa have stuttered at home since the turn of the year.
Spurs had only won one of their previous six on the road, but were allowed to play their football as Villa showed them too much respect.
Villa have now conceded 14 goals between the 45th and 60th minutes this season, the most in the league. It is an alarming trait because whatever is said at half-time is clearly not having the desired impact.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou felt Villa had tired early in the second half and perhaps he had a point, considering the draw with Ajax last Thursday, but this was the first defeat Villa had suffered in a league match following a Europa Conference League fixture.
They have to respond to the disappointment of losing to Spurs by putting in a performance to beat Ajax tonight (Thursday). Villa need to prove they can cope with the demands of playing under pressure in search of Champions League qualification and Conference League glory.
n McGinn instantly regrets foul
The game was as good as done before McGinn took out Udogie. Villa were off the pace and second best across the park but the red card was exactly what Emery did not need.
As Ollie Watkins admitted at fulltime, it was the nail in the coffin, but missing McGinn for three matches makes this defeat feel even worse. He will miss the matches against West Ham, Wolves and Manchester City.
After tempers flared on the touchline, McGinn made his way to the dressing room with his hands on his head, realising what a huge mistake he had just made. After 224 appearances for the club across all competitions, this was the first time he had been sent off.
Emery changes shape
This was his joint-heaviest home defeat as a manager, equalling a 5-1 loss against Dinamo Moscow in the Russian Premier League in November 2012 while in charge of Spartak Moscow.
Having been unbeaten in his first six league games against Spurs, this was his first defeat against them. Villa rode their luck in north London in November to pick up a win, but Tottenham were in no mood to pass up on opportunities this time round.
With that in mind, Emery deployed a more pragmatic shape to try to nullify Spurs’ attack, which worked in the first half, but as Villa lacked control and intensity in their play when they did have possession, it was just a matter of time before they fell behind.
Chasing the game against a Tottenham team with so much pace on the counter attack was asking for trouble. Villa made sloppy errors and didn’t protect the ball. Ezri Konsa had an uncharacteristically poor afternoon and lost the ball in Villa’s half, which allowed Spurs to double their lead through Brennan Johnson after James Maddison had put them ahead.
In hindsight, Emery might well regret showing too much respect to Tottenham, who were allowed to settle into the game quickly and take control.