John McGinn ‘cannot go anywhere’ – Three things learned in Aston Villa loss vs Marseille
Aston Villa fell to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Marseille in pre-season as Unai Emery’s side continue their preparations for the new Premier League campaign.
Despite it being labelled as a ‘friendly’, the game was anything but as tempers flared at various times throughout the match.
Mason Greenwood opened the scoring for the French giants before John McGinn equalised within a matter of minutes.
A late quickfire brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was enough to secure the win for Marseille as Villa News picks out the biggest talking points from the game.
Mings proved why he is no longer a regular starter
At 32, Mings’ best days at Villa are now behind him, with the centre back being at fault for Greenwood’s opener.
Whilst Mings provides solid cover for Emery’s defence, his role should not extend beyond this, as proven in his pre-season performance.
Mings did begin to settle down as the game went on, but Emery won’t like what he saw from his towering defender in the opening stages of the game.
Another striker needed alongside Ollie Watkins
With the speculation surrounding Watkins’ future, the game against Marseille was evidence of the hole left in Emery’s forward line when he does not play.
When Villa had Jhon Duran, they had two quality options to lead the line, but this is no longer the case.
With Samuel Iling-Junior failing to impact proceedings up front, this proves how desperate they are for another striker to help share the goalscoring burden with Watkins next season.
If Watkins does end up leaving, then Villa will likely need to sign two strikers if they want to continue to challenge for Champions League football.
McGinn proves his worth
Like so many of the notable names at Villa Park, McGinn was linked with a move away from the club earlier in the summer.
- The Villans rejected an £18million bid from Everton for the Scottish midfielder, and after the calmness he showed in front of goal as he calmly dinked the onrushing goalkeeper, it’s easy to see why.
His versatility, energy and ability on the ball make him one of Villa’s most important players even if he does go under the radar at times.
Much is made of PSR affecting clubs like Villa and Newcastle, but Emery must keep as many key players as possible in B6.
After narrowly missing out on Champions League football, Villa should be adding to their squad, not stripping away its most integral parts.
With Jacob Ramsey being offered a new contract amid speculation regarding his future, Villa now look set to keep hold of some the the vital parts of Emery’s engine room that made them so successful in the first place.
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