On Sunday, Aston Villa’s closest Champions League rivals, Tottenham, defeated them 4-0 at Villa Park, making it a nightmare afternoon for them.
John McGinn has also been sidelined for three games by Unai Emery following his straight red card for a careless foul on Destiny Udogie. Villa was down by two goals at that point and in serious trouble. Son Heung-min and Timo Werner then added two more for a furious Spurs side currently only two points behind Villa.
VILLA SHOW SPURS TOO MUCH RESPECT.
Villa have lost three of their past four Premier League home games, which equals the number of defeats they experienced in their first 23 home matches under Emery in the competition.
We’re approaching the end of the season, but Villa have struggled at home since the turn of the year. Newcastle and Manchester United have lost a combined 14 away games this season, but both defeated Villa.
Spurs‘ first away win against a team that started the day higher in the Premier League table since February 2022. Postecoglou’s team had only won one of their previous six road games, but they were allowed to play because Villa showed too much respect.
Villa have now conceded 14 goals between the 45th and 60th minutes this season, more than any other team in the league. It’s an unsettling characteristic because whatever is stated at halftime plainly isn’t having the desired effect.
Postecoglou believed Villa had tired early in the second half, and while he may have had a point given the draw with Ajax last Thursday, this was Villa’s first league defeat after a Europa Conference League encounter. If Villa can recover from their home defeat to Spurs and beat Ajax on Thursday, they will have to demonstrate their ability to cope with the demands of playing under pressure in order to qualify for the Champions League and win the Europa Conference League.
JOHN McGINN IMMEDIATELY REGRETS FOUL
The game was all but over until McGinn swiped Udogie, with Villa trailing and second best across the park. However, McGinn’s red card was exactly what Emery did not need.
As Ollie Watkins noted after the game, it was the final nail in the coffin, but McGinn’s absence for the next three matches made the defeat feel even worse. He will miss matches against West Ham, Wolves, and Manchester City.
After tempers rose on the touchline, McGinn was sent off, and as he made his way to the dressing room, he placed his hands on his head, recognising what a huge mistake he had just done.
Emery changes shape.
This was Emery’s joint-heaviest home defeat as a manager, with Sunday’s 4-0 loss to Villa equaling his 5-1 loss to Dinamo Moscow in the Russian Premier League in November 2012 while at Spartak Moscow.
Having gone unbeaten in his first six Premier League meetings against Spurs, this was his first defeat against them. Villa rode their luck in north London in November and won, but Tottenham were not about to miss out on opportunities this time.
With that in mind, Emery used a more pragmatic shape to try to neutralise Spurs‘ threat, which worked in the first half, but Villa’s lack of control and intensity in their play when they did have possession meant they would eventually fall behind.
Chasing a game against a Tottenham team with such quick counterattacks is never a good idea. But Villa were asking for trouble when they made clumsy mistakes and failed to protect the ball. Ezri Konsa had an uncharacteristically terrible afternoon, losing the ball in Villa’s half, allowing Spurs to double their lead through Johnson after Maddison put the away team ahead.
In hindsight, Emery may regret showing too much deference to Tottenham, who were allowed to settle in swiftly and take charge.
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