Unai: We must stay balanced after sting from Bees
IT’S been difficult to criticise Aston Villa this season, but blowing a two-goal lead against Brentford inside nine second-half minutes was inexcusable.
Ollie Watkins and Unai Emery said as much after full-time, but despite immediate feelings of frustration following the 3-3 draw with the Bees, Villa remain in a fantastic position to achieve their goals this season.
This is the business end to the campaign and while dropping two points is not ideal with only six league games left to play, Villa have already proven that they can react to setbacks.
In fact, when Watkins scored the sixth goal of the game in the 80th minute on Saturday, it prevented Villa from losing back-to-back league games for the first time this season.
It was also only the second time Villa have dropped points from a winning position this term, but worryingly, Emery’s side remain without successive home league victories since beating Man City and Arsenal just days apart back in December.
Only the weeks ahead will tell us if Villa are able bounce back again or if their calamitous nine minutes on Saturday afternoon will leave lasting damage. Here are the talking points from Villa’s draw.
Unai’s balancing act for Villa
Emery drew a deep breath after sitting down for his press conference, clearly frustrated after watching his side give up two crucial points.
He shouldered some of the blame for Brentford’s remarkable recovery, suggesting he made a mistake which
led to Sergio Reguilon enjoying the freedom of the left flank after Morgan Rogers had doubled Villa’s lead.
The Villa boss said he would rewatch the match to understand how the Bees were allowed to completely flip the game from minute 59 to 68.
“We played fantastic in the first half, fantastic and had control of the game,” Emery said. “The second half we started with the second goal. We controlled the game like we did in the first half.
“In the 50th minute we lost control completely. We reacted very well, but they scored three goals in 10 minutes.
“I am very happy with the first 60 minutes and then how we reacted afterwards. But I have two sides. I am also a little bit negative because I can’t understand the result in 90 minutes. I have to accept the point and think where we are in the league. We have 60 points. I can be happy and I can see we are having a fantastic Premier League season. But we have to be demanding.
“We want to keep the fourth position. But I have to understand we are not yet strong [enough] to compete. We have to keep going with our process.
We have to keep balanced.
“We have to keep thinking we are at day one where we weren’t expected to be in the top seven. And now we have to keep that balance and be positive and be smart.”
Watkins: We lacked maturity
On an afternoon of few positives for Villa, Watkins returning to the XI and scoring his 17th and 18th league goals of the season was certainly one. Watkins’ 28 goal involvements this term (18 goals, 10 assists) is the most by a Villa player in a single Premier League campaign.
“Two-nil is always a dangerous scoreline,” he admitted.
“We came out in the second half and scored and then we seemed to relax as a team. It’s poor. It was too easy for them to get in and score. It’s really disappointing because it could have been a really massive three points. We’ve been 2-0 up against Manchester United away and conceded silly goals. We have done it here.
“We’ve got a point but it should have been three. These are the games we need to be winning. That’s what
the top teams do. They finish it off, kill it off. They are smart. Maybe we just don’t have that maturity yet or game intelligence.”
Luiz handed suspension
After treading a disciplinary tightrope for 96 minutes, Douglas Luiz received his 10th caution of the season in the final moments after Brentford to compound Villa’s frustrations. Fans knew what that meant and so did Luiz. He put his shirt over his face and was disconsolate after full-time.
He’ll be a big miss for Villa in games at Arsenal next Sunday and then Bournemouth at home on Saturday, April 21. Luiz will likely start both Europa Conference League quarter-final legs against Lille.
Champions League race
There will be plenty of twists and turns to come in the race for Champions League qualification, but it still feels like Villa’s destiny is in their own hands. After playing Arsenal, Villa have two crucial home games against Bournemouth and Chelsea. They might have to win both to finish above Spurs.