Photo credit: Alexander Warren (alexandergwarren on Threads)
‘Emeryball’ was alive and well and on show at Villa Park on Saturday night. Despite Villa finding themselves 2-0 down to Everton, it always looked like it was a matter of time before the scoreline would reflect the on-pitch disparity. The conduit for this optimism was Emery’s charges playing gorgeous football. The coup de grace was Jhon Durán’s thunderous strike, his third winning goal from the bench in four games, but it was no more than was deserved. It is not all positive for the boys in claret and blue, but it was enjoyable to watch nonetheless. Here are four takeaways from the game:
Villa’s forwards are on fire
It was bound to happen, wasn’t it? Ollie Watkins scores, and fails to score, in streaks. Michael Keane’s lacklustre attempt to mark Watkins was punished and the Villa striker was off and running. Watkins’ second goal was another gift and was duly converted. Perhaps a hat-trick went begging when Morgan Rogers’ ball across the box was played a soupcon too hard. Watkins’ reaction said it all; he was annoyed, and he is back.
So much has already been said of Durán’s winner and rightly so. Jordan Pickford on a stepladder was not going to stop that ball. Durán is on a hot streak and every defence in Europe has been put on notice. It was just outrageous to try it – Durán sees what us mere mortals do not see. Each week we see why Emery was prepared to forgive the 20-year-old for his indiscretions during the off-season.
It is not just the forward line that is on fire, it is the engine room creating the chances. The commander-in-chief is Youri Tielemans. He is a conductor working on a footballing symphony. Whether it was the 93% pass accuracy or 147 touches of the ball, Tielemans is central to Villa’s attacking presence at the moment.
Relax, Morgan
There was so much to like about Morgan Rogers at the moment. He can ghost past players like an apparition at times. Other times, he can steamroll through defences. Where Rogers needs to improve is his final ball. Whether it is a shot or a cross, there is an anxious quality when a cool head is needed. There is no doubt that this will come from experience, and Emery wants his man to find this. The coach’s criticism of an Under 21 call up suggests that Rogers will learn far more from more difficult opponents.
On Saturday, there were four shots from Rogers and three hit the target. However, a goal should have resulted from at least one of these chances. The ball that should have given Watkins his third was another example of overzealous execution at a critical moment. All this criticism needed to be tempered against the positions that Rogers gets in over and over. It will all click together, and Villa’s attacking prowess will increase even further.
Defensive Frailties
As good as Villa are going forward, there are questions about the defence. Two poor goals against Everton are just some of the evidence to this point. Amadou Onana getting caught in midfield led to Dwight McNeil’s first goal for Everton (xG of 0.02). When Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted McNeil’s freekick to make it 2-0, so many questions were being posed. Pau Torres struggled against a more physical attack, and it could be that Tyrone Mings will replace him when required. The right back position is a concern at present. Emery stuck with Lamare Bogarde and Everton continually looked to exploit this area of the pitch. Whether it was instruction, or natural instinct, but Bogarde was not pushing forward with any real intent at times. There was a hint of Gavin McCann-like back pass tendencies from Bogarde which did not help transitional play. Perhaps Kosta Nedeljković will get another opportunity to stake his claim until Matty Cash’s return.
Resilient Villa
In his post-match interview, Emery was quick to recognise his team’s qualities, “Even at 2-0, we were trying to keep our game plan in our mind.” There are many times in the past when this game would have slid away from Villa. Not under ‘Emeryball.’ Emery also recognised the supporters understanding that the process needs to be seen to the very end before judgement. Villa’s players and fans did that, and the game was turned. The introduction of Ross Barkley for Onana was instrumental. Maybe the coach might have been tempted to keep his big money signing on the pitch? Not likely as Emery knew he needed experience and guile. Barkley brought that with an assured performance. Won’t be the last time either. It allowed Villa to stick to the process and win the game.