The VTID Column Returns
Former Aston Villa shareholder and long-term season ticket holder Jonathan Northall takes over the reins of the VTID weekly column, ahead of what is the most anticipated Villa season for a generation or two.
By Jonathan Northall
With Aston Villa’s preseason USA tour now complete and less than two weeks before the start of the Premier League season, it is a good time to look at where the club is at. The trip to the United States yielded as many red cards as it did goals, as Unai Emery’s men return from a transatlantic trip with little to celebrate. So, let us explore some claret and blue themes through the music of Green Day. Why? Let’s find out…
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
Games against Columbus Crew, RB Leipzig, and Club América have posed more questions than they have answered. With an influx of new players and Villa’s main guns enjoying an extended break, it was always going to be a case of Emery channeling his inner Ranieri to figure out player combinations, while the squad build up its fitness for the new season. However, there was far too little quality for much of the time, alongside glaring mistakes.
Emery will have learned much, in a short space of time, about his squad and his new acquisitions. And that is always a dangerous thing for Villa’s opposition. There is still a big question mark around backup goalkeeper, defensive parings, and goals up front from players not called Ollie Watkins. The midfield looks good despite the departure of Dougie to Juventus. Emery just needs to work out how he can accommodate the multitude in the middle of the park; a 1-8-1 formation probably won’t work out.
American Idiot
It’s harsh, but probably fair. Diego Carlos’ aberration against Leipzig lead to a second yellow card and ended any possibility of getting back into the game in New York. Having finished fourth in last year’s Bundesliga, Leipzig qualified for the Champions League above Borussia Dortmund. They are quality and it was a great opportunity to experience that type of team in readiness for European nights to come. For Diego Carlos, he received a schooling from Loïs Openda, and the referee reached for his red card in the incident after Leipzig’s second goal.
It is interesting to read that Fulham are interested in signing Carlos. Would Emery be interested in cashing in on the player with Mings due back soon? With Clément Lenglet not in the picture anymore, surely another centre-back would be needed, if Carlos was to depart. Certainly, the Brazilian centre-back didn’t do himself any favours out in the states and if a decent fee is to be had, then Villa may shuffle the defensive pack.
Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
Speaking of indiscipline, let us turn to Instagram sensation Jhon Duran. Instead of knuckling down, working hard, and letting the football business world do its thing, Duran decided that it would be a good idea to signal his future ambitions of playing for West Ham with a cross-armed gesture.
Why would Duran seek such a move? With Villa in the Champions League and with little striker depth in the squad, the 20-year-old would undoubtedly get opportunities to play and stake a claim for regular football. Duran has shown in the past that he can be effective and knows where the goal is. Yet, Villa’s second-best ever Colombian centre forward seeks a move away and jettison the prospect of Champions League football. West Ham, aren’t even in Europe next season. It’s odd. Perhaps he only signed for Villa in the first place because he thought he was going to be playing alongside Danny Ings?
Wake Me Up When September Ends
I worry about the first few weeks of the season. The integration of new players, along with the return of players from long-term injury, brings a period of uncertainty for Villa. Now, it could all just gel, but the struggles across the States suggest there is much work to do. Adding Martinez, Konsa, and Watkins to the starting eleven undoubtedly elevates the team. For the other eight positions, it is still a question of fitting the best players for the occasion.
The Premier League begins with an away game at West Ham before entertaining Arsenal. Both games are far from straightforward, followed by Leicester (A) and Everton (H), leading us into our first Champions League encounter. I suspect that Emery will have his game plan honed by the end of this period, but it could be a steep learning curve to get there.
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Jesus of Suburbia
After three successive defeats, Villa fans split into two camps. Some believe it is still preseason, and the players need to get “time into their legs” as the new boys learn to play with the existing squad. The other camp is far gloomier, continuing on from the fact Villa haven’t won any of their last six competitive games, with the feeling that last season’s high is gone and more players need to be acquired as soon as possible.
Now, it is possible that both positions are true and not mutually exclusive. However, let us not forget who has brought us to this season of potential. The same person who, alongside his team, has identified these players as ones to make the squad much better than last season and suitable for a league run alongside domestic and European cup competitions. He delivered us from Gerrard. Amen to that.
So, we have two games left. First, we entertain Athletic Bilbao at the Poundland of Dreams before a trip to Dortmund to pay tribute to Ollie Watkins’ goal for England. Oh, and face last year’s Champions League finalists too. We should certainly know much more about the first team for the 2024/25 season after these games.
Until next time…UTV
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