Buendia scores in banged-up Aston Villa’s 1-1 draw with Brentford

A banged-up Aston Villa side played newly-promoted Brentford to a 1-1 draw in front of a sold-out Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.

Emi Buendia’s13th minute goal brought Villa level after Ivan Toney opened the scoring in the sixth minute. The tally opened the record signing’s Villa goal-scoring account.

Tyrone Mings, John McGinn, and Jacob Ramsey, all expected to start, were late omissions. Mings was sidelined due to a broken rib, while McGinn and Ramsey missed out due to COVID protocol.

Aston Villa vs. Brentford: Villa still far from perfect

Early struggles highlighted Villa’s inability to progress the ball from out of the back, with Brentford’s smothering high press deployed effectively. Villa were prone to defensive breakdowns and could have conceded on at least two other occasions.

Buendia was bright throughout, creating in the middle and out on the right-hand side. Anwar El Ghazi, deployed on the left, was threatening in attack, creating chances and drawing fouls in the second half when Villa sought a winner.

Danny Ings started up top and assisted on Buendia’s goal, but he struggled for touches again. He has two goals and one assist in three matches despite his lack of involvement in build-up plays.

Ollie Watkins made his season debut after missing the first two matches with a bruised knee. The forward replaced Ashley Young in the 79th minute and played up top with Ings as Dean Smith moved from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2.

Watkins brought to the match what you’d expect him to: options on the flanks and good hold-up play. He even had two decent chances to win the match late in stoppage time.

Carney Chukwuemeka: Aston Villa’s next star in the making

Carney Chukwuemeka made his first senior start in the midfield alongside Young and Douglas Luiz. The 17-year-old was cool and composed on the ball and didn’t look at all out of place. He became the second-youngest player to ever start for Aston Villa in a Premier League contest, older than only Gareth Barry on his debut.

Matt Targett returned to the starting XI at left back after missing out in the win over Newcastle last week. He played alongside Axel Tuanzebe, who filled in for Mings on the left side of central defense. Both played well, but Targett was often pinned back by Brentford’s marauding right-wing back Sergi Canos.

Ezri Konsa captained the side but suffered an injury and was replaced by Kourtney Hause in the 89th minute. Konsa joins Villa’s injured contingent, which includes Mings, Leon Bailey, Bertrand Traore, Morgan Sanson, Keinan Davis, and Trezeguet.

Final Verdict: fair result for Aston Villa’s performance

On paper, Aston Villa, a club with European aspirations, should beat a newly-promoted side at home. But Brentford aren’t your typical Premier League newcomers. Thomas Frank has his side well organized with a clear identity.

The Bees had the greater share of possession, but they were never overly threatening. A handful of defensive breakdowns aside, Villa did well in defense. Brentford was most dangerous on the press when they could create opportunities off turnovers.

Furthermore, Villa is far from a healthy squad. Smith began the day with eight first-team members unavailable for selection, and yet Villa were in a position to earn three points against a formidable side.

Three games in, and Villa sit on four points. Before the season started, you would have thought seven or even nine points were realistic. But an almost comical amount of complicating factors have interfered with season preparations, and Smith probably feels he hasn’t made much headway in establishing the club’s post-Jack Grealish identity.

The early-season international break, for once, will be welcomed by the club. It’s a two-week layoff in which players can not only get healthy but have the opportunity to fine-tune the new system.