(Credit: Imago)

Hansa Rostock v Aston Villa round-up: Unai Emery alarm bells as Ramsey scores

Correspondent AUTHORITY Football journalist with experience at the Edinburgh Evening News and GRV Media; Masters graduate from the University of Derby. FOCUS Scottish Premiership coverage with specialist knowledge of Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, Aberdeen, and Motherwell. THE INSIGHT Jack utilises a network of club and industry contacts across the Scottish Premiership to deliver verified, high-speed reporting. He provides the tactical and transfer insight behind the headlines to ensure fans get the full story as it happens.

Published on:

20 Jul 2025, 3:33 am

Aston Villa fell to another pre-season defeat on Saturday as Hansa Rostock overcame Unai Emery’s team 3-1.

It was the second friendly of the summer for the Birmingham outfit, with Villa also losing to Walsall 1-0 on Wednesday.

Emery was no doubt frustrated with the loss after yet another poor performance from his squad.

Now, Aston Villa News has provided a round-up of all the talking points from the 3-1 defeat to Hansa Rostock.

Aston Villa fans have been unimpressed by the recent performances (Photo: Imago)

TJ Carroll makes concerning mistake

One Villa academy star who was given a runout against Rostock was TJ Carroll.

The 18-year-old played a part against Walsall on Wednesday and remained in the squad for the German third-tier outfit.

However, Carroll made a costly mistake against Rostock when he deliberated with the ball far too long in his own area. This allowed the opposition to steal the ball and equalise.

As a result, many Aston Villa fans were quick to criticise Carroll for his mistake online.

Jacob Ramsey has been linked away from Aston Villa this summer (Credit: Imago)

Ramsey scores past Rostock

One of the few positives of the game against Rostock was Jacob Ramsey.

The midfielder has an uncertain future at Villa Park this summer.

Nottingham Forest have been the latest side to be linked with Ramsey ahead of the new season.

Nevertheless, Emery started the 24-year-old on Saturday. As a result, Ramsey netted the opener against Rostock.

It was a tidy finish from the midfielder as he rifled the ball into the corner of the net.

Unai Emery has now overseen back-to-back defeats this pre-season (Credit: Imago)

Unai Emery’s concerns grow

So far, this pre-season has not gone to plan. Against two weak sides, Emery has overseen two defeats.

With the Premier League season now less than a month away, alarm bells are no doubt going off for the manager.

If Villa are to qualify for the Champions League this season, a quick start to the campaign is necessary.

Therefore, these poor performances must quickly end before they become a habit.

Thankfully, Villa have numerous friendlies to go to sort out their form, with the Birmingham outfit set to face Frankfurt next.

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Jacob Ramsey

Unai Emery