Aston Villa dropped points for just the second time this season as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Premier League new boys Ipswich Town. The result was a frustrating one for Unai Emery and the team and in the end were lucky to walk away with a point after the Tractor boys performed well and could have easily scored again to take the win. Villa have now conceded nine goals and are without a clean sheet in the opening six Premier League games.
Defensive problems continue for Aston Villa
Despite a positive start to the season that sees Aston Villa sitting fifth in the table after the first half-a-dozen matches, there is a glaringly obvious weak side to the Villa team. The club have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eleven Premier League matches, stretching back to April when they won 2-0 away to Arsenal.
In the continued absence of Matty Cash, Emery once again faced a dilemma. That dilemma was whether to play a young and inexperienced natural right-back in Kosta Nedeljkovic, continue to trust Lamare Bogarde or shift Ezri Konsa to the right side of defence and play Diego Carlos at centre-back. Emery decided to go with the latter, so Villa's back four was again made up of three centre-halves.
The Tractor Boys took the lead after just eight minutes through Liam Delap. The son of former Premier League long-throw hero, Rory Delap, made the most of Villa's poor efforts to clear the ball by thumping the ball through the hands of Emi Martinez following a pull-back from Jack Clarke. Villa had several chances to clear their lines, but Ezri Konsa carelessly gave the ball away on the edge of the box and the home side took full advantage.
Villa equalised seven minutes later through Morgan Rogers who is now starting to add the attacking numbers to his awe-inspiring performances. A terrible clearance from Jacob Greaves fell to Rogers just inside the penalty area. He controlled the ball beautifully and played a one-two with Ollie Watkins before firing the ball into the far corner, sending Arijanet Muric the wrong way. Villa continued to press and create openings and their pressure paid off as they took the lead just after the half-hour mark. Leon Bailey produced a wicked cross with his right foot and Watkins was on hand to head the ball into the corner from six yards out.
The second half was a very one-sided affair, with the home team dominating the vast majority. Emi Martinez was forced into making several stops before Liam Delap eventually scored his second to level the scores. With 20 minutes left to play. Delap found himself in space down the left as Ezri Konsa was caught out high up the pitch. Delap ran through on goal after bamboozling Diego Carlos with a step over, before smashing the ball into the far corner.
The home side continued to push for a winner before the end but the Villa defence hung on to secure a point. The performance once again highlighted a major problem down the right-hand side of the Villa defence, not for the first time this season. Diego Carlos once again had a poor afternoon, giving away several needless free kicks in the first half and defending very poorly for the second goal. Ezri Konsa also continued to show his defensive vulnerability at right-back. His positional sense as a centre-back is terrific. As a right-back, it is a very different story. Unsure of where to be when out of possession and with very limited attacking intent when in possession, playing in that position continues to be a problem.
Looking ahead to a huge week at Villa Park
Aston Villa have a huge week ahead of them as they welcome Bayern Munich to Villa Park in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, before taking on Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.
The biggest issue of Konsa RB is it means Carlos plays CB.
— Villan (@FPLVillan) September 29, 2024
Ez stops Delap for the 2nd goal, no doubt in my mind. https://t.co/Otaj1qEeSw
With the vast majority of fans calling for Emery to stop with his persistence in selecting Carlos at centre-back and Konsa at right-back, it will be interesting to see if he will change it ahead of Wednesday. Bayern Munich will pose a much tougher test than Villa's opposition today, and they will likely have a difficult time coping with a world-class Bayern frontline if they set up as they did today.
Kosta Nedeljkovic, who has Champions League experience, will be pushing to start Wednesday's game having only played 96 minutes in the Premier League so far this season. Having played in the Champions League for his former club Red Star Belgrade, Emery will have to consider whether it is the right time to play him from the start.
UTV