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Is Aston Villa's bleak battering at Brighton a blip, or sign of what's to come?
- Story by
- Is Aston Villa's bleak battering at Brighton a blip, or sign of what's to come?
Aston Villa have a huge task and opportunity this season, and Unai Emery's men have failed their first Premier League test so soon after displaying promise on a big stage.
The Villans are in two different worlds right now. Emery's guided this once-sleeping huge club to consistent top-four contention, and big changes in personnel have signaled the chance to show the Premier League that the so-called 'Big Six' is a 'Big Seven' by showing there's no overturning this apple cart.
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If it ever was to be flipped, however, this would be the time. And while Villa impressed in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain , there are apples everywhere following Week 1 of the Premier League season: a 4-0 hammering at Brighton.
Villa's very bad summer began with Amadou Onana's long-term injury for Belgium at the World Cup and continued with the transfers of Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa, and Morgan Rogers. Donyell Malen had already left Villa and eyes are trained on Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martinez, who could soon leave Villa Park.
Villa's first half at Brighton sinks Super Cup vibes
The Rogers money alone will help Villa restock the cupboard, but Emery's been hamstrung by English football's profit and sustainability rules (PSR). They've now had two seasons out of three with cumulative sales of over $250 million. And while Villa have acted quickly to prepare for this season, winning the signatures of Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomez, and Zion Suzuki amongst others, the showing against a Brighton team who had just played Thursday in Norway for a Conference League first leg is setting off alarm bells.
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Emery didn't start Manzambi versus Brighton and was without young striker Brian Madjo in addition to Onana, but this was still a largely-veteran team who should be above a 4-goal, 1-red card 40 minutes to start a season.
Villa had 38% of the ball in the first half and hemorrhaged 2,96 expected goals in that frame, allowing 10 shot attempts. Emery's men were stuck into duels, it's true, but almost nothing was happening at the other end and perhaps that's a far bigger concern.
Emiliano Buendia, young George Hemmings, and Ross Barkley got very little going along with John McGinn, and reinforcement of a star variety are not likely at the moment — especially if Watkins joins Rogers in skipping town. Yes, Madjo will come back into the fold as will Leon Bailey, and Alejandro Garnacho and Alysson will be aching for their chances in the team.
Villa's bench included three teenagers to go along with 19-year-old Hemmings, who was bright against PSG and not the problem in the first half at Brighton.
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There's a lot of season to play and Emery's cooked a lot of superb meals with standard ingredients. Yet looking at this Villa squad and hoping to compete on multiple fronts requires some very rose-colored glasses. Manzambi and others will have to hit the ground running well, and new stars will have to emerge in attack.
No one's saying 4-0 reverse score lines are going to become the norm for Villa but the potential for a first-half backslide into the bottom half while navigating the Champions League league phase is significant. The good news is that there are only so many more stars who could leave town. The bad news is that there are only so many known stars in the team. This looks like a huge undertaking for Emery. Fortunately, he's got the bonafides to do it.
