Jonty Banks

Mon 13 February 2023 18:30, UK

Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City was a day to forget for Unai Emery and his Aston Villa players, as they flattered to deceive at the Etihad Stadium.

Granted, the Villans were never expected to get anything out of the game (12 February) against Pep Guardiola’s rampant side, but the performance – in particular, the dismal first-half display – simply wasn’t good enough.

Far too often, Villa sat back in their cacoon of a 4-4-2 formation and welcomed onslaught after onslaught from City’s star-studded attack, with the home side racing into an insurmountable 3-0 lead by the break.

Defending against the quality of Kevin de Bruyne, Erling Haaland, and former Villan Jack Grealish was always going to be a tough ask, but supporters would have hoped the team would have carried more of a threat when in possession.

Instead, they looked toothless and short of ideas.

For large portions of the game, Emery’s team looked one-dimensional, as they looked to play in straight lines up the pitch and were reluctant to look for the width Leon Bailey was providing on the right wing.

With Ashley Young at right-back, it was always going to be hard to progress the ball down the right flank, but Emi Buendia did little to help the build-up play down that flank and would have drifted out of the game far too often for Emery’s liking.

It was by far the worst performance since the Spaniard’s arrival as manager in mid-October, and he must shake up his team selection for the upcoming Premier League encounter against league leaders Arsenal.

The lack of imagination on show was highlighted by the impact that Emery’s second-half substitutes had on the game in the closing stages. Jhon Duran provided a strong figure up front alongside Watkins when he came on for Bailey and linked up far more often than the Jamaican winger, while Philippe Coutinho looked back to his old self on the left side of midfield.

The Brazilian injected some much-needed creativity into Villa’s game during his short cameo, coming close to a trademark goal when he whipped a curling shot from 20 yards out into Ederson’s outstretched fingertips.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see both these players come into the starting lineup next week for Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia after the pair struggled to impact proceedings, while the returning John McGinn should be brought back into the team after recovering from his hamstring injury.

At the moment, Villa’s lineups are predictable and easy to read. Emery must shake things up against Arsenal this weekend (Saturday 18 February) and warrant these players a chance to shine from the first whistle.

In other Aston Villa news, the club face competition from Barcelona to secure the signing of a striker at the end of the season.