Five key talking points as Villa collapse in chaotic defeat to Man Utd

Five key talking points as Villa collapse in chaotic defeat to Man Utd

Tuesday night, Aston Villa lost 3-2 at Manchester United after clumsily blowing a

two-goal lead and coming home empty-handed.

After just twenty-six minutes, goals from Leander Dendoncker and John McGinn placed us ahead,

and the Old Trafford crowd became increasingly irate and frustrated.

After the interval, though, the hosts were destined to respond,

and Villa lacked the answers to hold up to their pressure and earn a win.

Given how severely we battled, it was probably the worst 45 minutes of football under Unai Emery.

A strong response is now required when we play Burnley at home on Saturday afternoon.

Sloppy Villa was penalised for defeating us on our own

Actually, the caution signs were there from the start because,

despite our effective offside trap and two well-executed set-piece goals,

our careless play raised questions.

It was eventually penalised.

We played a big part in our own demise,

whether it was Diego Carlos’ careless pass that led to our first goal’s opening goal or Clement Lenglet’s cheap

dispossessed play that gave away the corner that led to the game’s winning goal.

At this point, we can’t afford to make mistakes of that nature because we will be held accountable.

This altered the tone of the match,

brought the home crowd back into it, and increased the pressure on the players.

Players should take a brutal lesson from this.

After taking a 2-0 lead, our calm and control crumbled,

and we were unable to respond by closing down the opposition or taking

advantage of counterattacking opportunities,

even though we had a few excellent opportunities as the game was progressing.

We need to make the most of this experience and develop into more mature

individuals and teams if we want to go on and defeat the top six or seven teams in this league on a regular basis.

If we could play our style of football and win each week,

that would be perfect.

However, if we want to be at the top,

collapses like this one cannot occur, thus we must demonstrate the physique and resilience

required in challenging circumstances and situations to reach a great outcome.

Adaptability will be a crucial quality going forward.

As the second half progressed,

it became evident that the momentum was shifting and we were beginning to falter,

indicating that our game management was inadequate.

That began on the pitch when our main players failed to touch the ball,

which made it easier for us to play at our desired tempo.

However, Emery might also feel that he might have handled certain situations differently.

Whether it was making replacements earlier in the game to break things up or

making a small adjustment to our set-up because

we were repeatedly being overrun and bypassed in midfield and finding ourselves exposed in behind.

Villa still needs to make the necessary adjustments and adapt more effectively in certain games.

Lack of Pau and Kamara is a serious problem, and Luiz has a bad night.

As the game progressed, one thing that became quite obvious was how much

we missed Pau Torres and Boubacar Kamara in the centre of the Villa defence.

We lost all control of the game and it turned chaotic, not in the way Emery wants it to be,

without their poise, coolness, and ability to assert themselves both in and out of possession.

The failure to control the ball, withstand United’s pressure,

and take advantage of openings in the defence was a major contributing factor in the loss,

which turned what could have been an easy victory into an absolute nightmare.

This was coupled with another poor performance from Douglas Luiz,

who was generally careless and ineffectual in comparison to his typically high standards.

Emery looks at the wider view despite being let down.

We can be harsh on a game when it stands alone,

therefore some of the responses following the final whistle were justified and appropriate given that

we had played so poorly and disappointingly at Old Trafford to blow a two-goal lead.

Crucially, though, Emery is correct to consider the wider picture and remind everyone

that our 39-point performance in the first half of the season is still a remarkable accomplishment.

We’ve had some really important learning experiences over the last two games against Sheffield United and Manchester United.

Although it hurts to only have one point considering our positions in both games,

these experiences should help us be better prepared for future tests and

serve as a catalyst for long-term improvement.

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