View: Aston Villa see one partnership blossom and another fade
Aston Villa got their pre-season underway with a 4-0 win over Walsall on Saturday, giving fans to see how the team has developed over the summer.
Leon Bailey, Cameron Archer, Ollie Watkins and Douglas Luiz grabbed the goals for Steven Gerrard’s side, but fans were treated to more than that.
Diego Carlos came in for his debut, playing the first 45 minutes alongside Tyrone Mings in the heart of Villa’s defence.
Villa made a host of changes for the second half, with Watkins and Danny Ings playing as a strike partnership in a changed system.
Fans were eagerly anticipating to see how the two partnerships would perform, but it is fair to say the results were mixed.
Positives and negatives
Villa started in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Carlos and Mings forming the core of the defence.
The pair preferred to stay wide when out of possession, with the full-backs pushing high and Marvelous Nakamba dropping back to form a back three.
Carlos performed well, dominating both in the air and on the ground to keep the hosts at bay for the entirety of the half.
Mings was less impressive, surrendering possession high up the pitch and leaving Villa short, but he performed well alongside his new partner and positive signs are there.
However, Ings and Watkins did not yield the same results.
Villa shifted more towards a 4-4-2 in the second half, allowing Ings and Watkins to both play up front.
Last season saw constant questions about their ability to play together as a pair, but they answered those critics against Walsall by not linking up at all.
The pair did not look like a partnership at all, with Watkins more interested in linking up with Emi Buendia instead.
Morgan Sanson also combined well with Watkins, which largely left Ings isolated up front.
It is indicative of where Villa are as a squad right now, with fielding a sole striker seemingly being their best option.
However, at least there are now the seeds of a solid defensive pairing with Mings and Carlos.
In other Aston Villa news, manager Steven Gerrard is very keen to bring Liverpool defender Joe Gomez to the club.