Aston Villa vs Cardiff City: Player Grades in 3-0 defeat

Yikes. Aston Villa lost 3-0 to Cardiff City in Wales. A horrific display of inadequacy raises serious concerns about a promotion push this season.

This was a disaster. A match in which started perfectly fine, ended horribly as Aston Villa deflated in conceding two second-half goals. Outside of Sam Johnstone, Josh Onomah, and Callum O’Hare (two of which don’t belong to Villa), everyone was quite bad.

Steve Bruce traveled to Wales without a proper structure and plan, as such, the team suffered.

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s brace on either side of the half was all Cardiff needed to continue their undefeated start. Most worryingly, James Chester and John Terry weren’t their usual solid selves.

Welp, it was a bad match, but Aston Villa is back at it on Tuesday. This time, an away match to Reading. My player grades against Cardiff City:

7.0. Good match for Sam Johnstone. He nearly spilled a tame shot in the first half, but redeemed himself with a pair of tight angle saves. Was not able to get to Cardiff’s headed goal. Saved a 1v1 in the 46th and 47th minute to keep the match contested. Not at fault for either of Cardiff’s second half strikes.. GK. Aston Villa. SAM JOHNSTONE

3.0. The performance is not even worthy of writing about. Start James Bree.. RB. Aston Villa. ALAN HUTTON

5.5. James Chester was okay, I suppose. He was better than John Terry. Was not able to convert an open header in the second half that would have equaled the score. Beaten for Cardiff’s third.. RCB. Aston Villa. JAMES CHESTER

LCB. Aston Villa. JOHN TERRY. 5.0. Quiet from John Terry. That’s two in two matches for the Englishman. Villa’s conceded goal came directly from the flanks; a common occurrence over recent years. Gets dragged out wide too often by Neil Taylor. Junior Hoilett destroyed him for Cardiff’s second.

LB. Aston Villa. NEIL TAYLOR. 4.5. Always seems to be out of position, which results in John Terry being dragged out wide. In turn, he’s blocking crosses instead of properly defending them. Neil Taylor offered very little to the attack today. None, in fact.

5.0. Okay match from Glenn Whelan. Didn’t offer anything offensively, which is fine in his role, but Cardiff were offered acres of space in Zones 11 & 14.. CDM. Aston Villa. GLENN WHELAN

6.0. Josh Onomah was very solid in the first half, but tired out in the second. Again, he is one of the few that consistently carries the ball out of pressure situations; a lot of maturity for the 20-year old. He went off for Conor Hourihane.. CM. Aston Villa. JOSH ONOMAH

Aston Villa. AHMED ELMOHAMADY. 5.0. Unfortunate facial injury for Ahmed Elmohamady. Albert Adomah came in to replace him in the first half. Let’s hope there’s not concussion or facial fractures.. RM

4.5. Honestly not able to tell Henri Lansbury was being asked to play LM or CAM by Steve Bruce. Whatever it was, it wasn’t pretty. His set pieces, in particular, were atrocious.. CAM. Aston Villa. HENRI LANSBURY

4.0. I think this was his position designation? Honestly couldn’t tell either what Steve Bruce was getting at. Played a bad 90 minutes as he flip-flopped wings frequently. At times he drifted into the #10 area, but didn’t touch the ball at all. Badly hesitated on a perfect set-up from Callum O’Hare in the second half.. LM. Aston Villa. GABBY AGBONLAHOR

CF. . SCOTT HOGAN. 5.5. Great first half in which he caused numerous problems along the backline. Completely and utterly anonymous in the second half; some of which can be traced to disaster the team played as a whole, bad service.

Serious changes are needed for Tuesday. For starters, James Bree or Ritchie De Laet need to start at right fullback. Secondly, Gabby Agbonlahor can not put a full 90 shift in the wing. Or, at center-forward for that matter.

Pick Bjarnason, or O’Hare, or Hourihane, or somebody else, Steve Bruce, please.

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