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Aston Villa drop preseason fixture at Stoke

By Andrew Capitelli

STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - JULY 24: Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa is tackled by Ben Wilmot of Stoke City during a pre-season friendly match between Stoke City and Aston Villa at Britannia Stadium on July 24, 2021 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - JULY 24: Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa is tackled by Ben Wilmot of Stoke City during a pre-season friendly match between Stoke City and Aston Villa at Britannia Stadium on July 24, 2021 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /
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Aston Villa looked a tired, uninspired team in a 2-0 preseason defeat at Stoke City on Saturday afternoon. Goals came via Steven Fletcher (3′) and Mario Vrancic (49′) for the hosts.

As was the case in Villa’s 4-0 win at Walsall on Wednesday, Emi Buendia played alongside Ollie Watkins and Anwar El Ghazi, though on Saturday, the trio was joined by Aaron Ramsey in a fluid front four. While at times looking a threat, the unit failed to make any significant impact on the opening 60 minutes of action.

John McGinn and Marvelous Nakamba were a two-man pivot in midfield, while Matty Cash and Ashley Young provided decent enough width in the full-back positions. Kourtney Hause paired up with 18-year-old Lamare Bogarde, who had a bright showing in central defense.

Wholesale changes in the 60th minute brought little relief for a Villa side down a pair of goals, and insult to injury came by way of Wesley’s 67th-minute red card. His strike partner Keinan Davis was lively, injecting pace into an otherwise drab Villa side.

Ezri Konsa and Frédéric Guilbert turned in good 30-minute shifts in defense, while 19-year-old keeper Viljami Sinisalo made a handful of solid saves in his brief showing.

All in all, it was poor from Villa. Yes, it’s only preseason, but both sets of players looked genuinely uninterested. Stoke away is never an easy fixture, to be fair, but after the goal-fest at Walsall, it would have been nice to see more Villa chances created.

Miscellaneous match notes:

  • Buendia moved around a bit in the front-four set-up. He played centrally with El Ghazi on the right and Aaron Ramsey on the left for some time. Wonder if the coaching staff is exploring the option of Jack Grealish on the left and El Ghazi on the right with Bertrand Traoré and Trézéguet set to miss the start of the season
  • Bogarde and Aaron Ramsey looked comfortable through the first 60 minutes. Both could have bright futures with the club as it seems Dean Smith and the staff have taken a liking to the pair
  • Jaden Philogene-Bidace is a baller. He’s got great technical ability and plays with confidence. Think a loan move is best for him this season but could see regular first-team action in the next year or so
  • Wesley looked very poor even before his silly red card. His fitness is way off, and there should be serious doubt in his ability to pressure defenders
  • Davis looks like the current best option to back up Watkins. Perhaps Villa reconsider bringing in a center forward, but as it stands Davis has the edge over Wesley. There’s just nothing Wesley currently does better than Davis
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