Friday night’s result may have caused Villa to drop a place in the Championship table. It could prove to be most valuable at the end of the season. As the old football cliché goes, ‘it was a game of two halves.’ The first half performance led to us conceding a goal but also looking like more were due. The second half was so much better; Bruce’s substitutions changed the game and Villa ended up more likely to score.
So many lessons were learned on Friday night. Whether it was about the team as a whole or individual players, the game could be invaluable. Not losing the game from the position Villa were in was key. Slipping to defeat could have been disastrous as the games come thick and fast over the Christmas period. We are not halfway through the season but the next month will define which teams are contenders. Villa are one of those teams. Key messages were:
Henri Lansbury has a place at Villa
Rumours that Henri Lansbury could leave the club in January have surfaced recently. In his first appearance since his sending off against Middlesborough, the player showed that they may not be the best course of action. Despite a smart finish within six minutes to get Villa level, his introduction freshened up the midfield. Along with Jack Grealish, Villa looked far better in the last 25 minutes. It was a sign that we have strength in depth.
Josh Onomah had a bad day. And it’s OK to do so
He’s a 20-year-old and he played awful. He’s also an enormous talent who have much better days. Being critical, his performance caused a disconnect between midfield and 19-year-old Keinan Davis up front. It’s not ideal to have such inexperience in the final third but our injury list gives Villa little other choice right now. Onomah will repay his performance back for sure.
James Chester is the heart of the defence
It was another rock-solid performance from Chester. It was required at defensive partner Christopher Samba looked cumbersome at times. Chester has the highest market value, apart from Kodjia, according to website Transfermarkt. It reflects how valuable the defender is. The signing of John Terry was a short-term option whilst Chester could still be first choice if we returned to the Premier League.
We need to acquire a striker in January
Goals. The currency we need to trade in to achieve promotion. We are scoring them but not too many from the front line. We are reliant on goals from midfield and have been all season. Out strikers have contributed four out of the 29 league goals: two for Davis and one each for Agbonlahor and Kodjia. Despite having FFP restrictions, Steve Bruce must sign an experienced striker to give us some goals in addition to the ones from midfield.
Next: Bruce looking to Burnley for a striker?
We have the ability to turn games around
Not only did we take a point under the microscopic quality of the television cameras, we made a mental leap forwards. Over the last few seasons, it was the sort of game where Villa would slowly slide out of the game or haemorrhage goals to the point of shame. This didn’t happen. Although we are still a work-in-progress towards being the finished article to gain automatic promotion, we are moving forward.