Aston Villa’s win over Coventry City felt a bit like a return to preseason, and not just because of the lacklustre atmosphere inside the CBS Arena for what was supposed to be a local derby of sorts.
It mostly had a preseason feel due to Unai Emery using Wednesday’s game to bed in new signings who will become important in the coming weeks and months. Several high-profile additions saw significant playing time for the first time in a Villa shirt, and made the most of their opportunity.
The star of the show was Ibrahim Mbaye, who was handed his first start for the club since his £47m move from PSG on deadline day, having made his debut off the bench against Nottingham Forest a few days earlier, looking sharp as he did so.
Against Coventry he was a threat all night on the right wing, showing his elite speed on counter attacks and the ability to test defenders one on one. Mbaye notched his first assist for the club, setting up Ross Barkley from a corner to restore Villa’s lead, and created four chances in total.
He is still raw, which is to be expected for an 18-year-old – even an expensive one – but the talent is clear to see, and he should only improve with more time on task under Emery.
At the other end of the pitch, Taylor Harwood-Bellis had a strong debut after having to wait over two weeks to make his mark since signing on deadline day along with Mbaye. His passing ability is well known and is the key factor that attracted Villa to him. It was on display versus Coventry.
Harwood-Bellis confidently dictated play from centre-back, having more touches (83) than any player for either side and registering a pass accuracy of 91.6%, and picked out longer passes to break lines, helping Villa progress up the pitch.
More than that, Harwood-Bellis was also active and effective defensively, regularly in the right place to make key blocks, clearances or interceptions with his feet or his head.
He also showed a refreshing front-footedness in defence, anticipating things before they happened and being proactive. The defender finished the game with eight defensive contributions and won 100% of his ground duels.
Elsewhere in defence, Matteo Ruggeri started for the first time at left-back and put in a solid performance, although he would like a couple of wayward crosses back. He will need to step up with Ian Maatsen out injured for at least six weeks, and Wednesday night was a steady first step.
Johan Manzambi also came off the bench for the second game in a row as he ramps back up after a knee injury suffered at the World Cup. He looked more comfortable and assured in appearance number two, showing off his silky ability on the ball in tight situations.
A performance and result like Wednesday night is exactly what Villa needed as they try to build confidence and chemistry among a new group of players.
The performances of the new signings bodes well for the coming games, particularly after the international break, when hopefully the true version of what this Villa team will be starts to come to the fore.
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