Aston Villa fell to a 2-1 defeat in the UEFA Super Cup final against PSG in Salzburg, despite a spirited effort against the Champions League holders.
Here are five takeaways from Wednesday night’s action:
Brian Madjo and George Hemmings live up to preseason hype
Young prospects Brian Madjo and George Hemmings have been the stars of Villa’s preseason, and handed the opportunity to show they could perform on the biggest stage, the pair did not disappoint.
17-year-old Madjo was a nuisance to PSG’s defence all evening and took his goal extremely well, wrestling with a defender before instinctively poking home. It was reminiscent of his first goal of the preseason against Walsall.
Hemmings is thriving in a more advanced role and is making a real case to be part of Emery’s first-team squad this season. The 19-year-old did not look overawed by the occasion, was comfortable in possession and helped Villa drive forward into the final third.
Alysson also looked sharp after coming on in the second half and was unfortunate not to get an assist. The future looks bright for Villa’s young stars.
More cutting edge required
The defeat felt harsh on Villa, who arguably created the better chances throughout the game. Ultimately, the biggest difference between the two teams was perhaps ruthlessness in front of goal.
Madjo had multiple chances to score before eventually finding the net, while Hemmings spurned Villa’s biggest chance of the second half as he fired straight at Matvey Safonov. Late in the game, Alysson flashed a cross into PSG’s six-yard box, but Tammy Abraham could not connect.
Villa will of course get important players back such as Ollie Watkins, Alejandro Garnacho and Johan Manzambi, who should make a difference in the final third.
Unai Emery’s Villa are always ready
Emery is a perfect fit for Villa for so many reasons. Perhaps the biggest one is that he embodies the club’s motto: Prepared.
Regardless of all the players who were not at his disposal and a summer filled with change, Emery’s team showed up ready to play against the champions of Europe, with a game plan to take them on.
Villa fans have been trained to believe the good times could come crashing down at any moment. Even though it should not be surprising, it never stops being impressive that Emery continues to get the absolute maximum out of the players he has.
Wednesday night’s performance should fill the team and the fanbase with confidence for the season ahead.
Lapses in concentration lead to consequences
In addition to their issues in front of goal, Villa fell to defeat in part due to a couple of moments where individuals switched off.
Marco Bizot made a mess of the passage of play that led up to PSG’s first goal, flapping at an initial shot and then being caught flat footed by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s near post shot, which while powerful, was not especially close to the corner.
For PSG’s second, Matty Cash failed to hold the defensive line with his teammates, keeping Désiré Doué onside as he raced through to score. The rest of Villa’s defence seemed to stop, assuming Doué’s goal would be ruled out.
Villa will be better once Emiliano Martínez returns in goal, but tonight was a reminder of how the top teams will punish the smallest mistakes.
Ian Maatsen looks ready to step up
Maatsen had one of the better performances in his time as a Villa player versus PSG as he looks to grasp the opportunity created by Lucas Digne’s departure.
He has always been a threat going forward, and that was on display in Salzburg as he regularly drove into or popped up in the box.
It was the defensive side of his game that needed work, and this is where Maatsen was most impressive on Wednesday night. He was put in isolated, compromising positions against Doué and Achraf Hakimi on multiple occasions and handled himself well.
Competition is set to arrive soon in the form of Matteo Ruggeri, but Maatsen has the upper hand with time on task in Emery’s system. Is this the year he truly breaks through?
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