John McGinn's 'anger and disappointment' won't wash after dismal Brighton vs Aston Villa data
John McGinn's apology after Aston Villa's 4-0 defeat to Brighton is a little too late.
Unai Emery's side are going through a lot of chaos off the pitch at the moment, and that showed at the AMEX Stadium on Sunday.
Emery was without the likes of Emi Martinez, Ollie Watkins, Brian Madjo and Johan Manzambi, the former duo due to transfers and the latter duo thanks to injuries.
As a result, the Villans were firmly second best in the contest, as they conceded four goals before the half-time break.
Emery will have wanted his players to step up and show that they don't need the exit-linked stars to thrive, but that did not happen.
McGinn was utilised on the right flank, in a role that he has become accustomed to, but his showing was not good enough.
What did John McGinn say after Aston Villa's loss to Brighton?
The Scotsman issued an apology after the contest, claiming that he was angry and disappointed.
In quotes shared by Sky Sports, he said: “Going away in the Premier League, we obviously apologise to the supporters, it’s not easy to travel, costs a lot of money, takes a lot of time. And they don’t want to come here and see their team lose by four goals before half-time.
“But on the flipside, 4-0 down at the Amex with 10 men, we had to stand up in the second half and the squad of players in there, we had a chance to puff our chests out, be men and fight and we did that.
“We’re obviously angry and disappointed at the result. We set high standards and that’s far away from that. However, there’s a bit of me that’s proud at how we reacted.”
However, that does not wash after his own personal showing in the clash on the South coast.
What do the stats say about McGinn's showing?
McGinn is usually one of the Villans' most reliable players, putting in solid performances, week after week.
However, this was not one of those occasions, as he was particularly dismal with the ball at his feet, as the data shows.
He completed just 52 per cent of his passes and made just one line-breaking attempt, per Fotmob data.
The 89-cap international was successful with one of six long ball attempts, for a success rate of just 17 per cent.
McGinn also struggled with dribbling, completing just two of his five attempts, for a 40 per cent success rate.
Normally, he is adept defensively, too, but he made just one tackle, one clearance and one interception, in a display that surely will not have impressed Emery.
He needs to shake it off and bounce back when the B6 outfit face Arsenal next Monday, otherwise, the Villans may suffer a heavy loss again.
The West Midlands outfit need their senior stars to show up in a tough period and help get them the results that they need.