Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are warming up nicely ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle United.
After a healthy and successful summer series in America, Aston Villa’s pre-season continued with a thumping 3-0 win over Italy’s Champions League side, Lazio, on home soil.
Here, we will take a look at five things we learned from that contest in Walsall on Thursday, with Ollie Watkins, John McGinn and an own goal rounding off a brilliant evening for the team.
Take Ollie Watkins off penalties
Villa’s leading man did very well to open the scoring after a brilliant forward pass by Youri Tielemans, but he should have got on the scoresheet a lot earlier.
After Boubacar Kamara was mauled in the penalty area, Watkins stepped up to take the spot-kick, and once again, he failed to convert. Go back to Anfield towards the back end of last season, he didn’t even hit the target that time, and whilst he went straight down the middle here, Ivan Provedel’s legs prevented it from hitting the back of the net.
With Tielemans in the building, it’s time he is handed the keys to penalties. If not, Douglas Luiz and Leon Bailey are other options.
Tielemans shines once again
A free transfer. Just like Boubacar Kamara last summer, the Belgium International might prove to be one of the signings of this summer.
Once again, he ran the show and made the ball talk like nobody else. The way he picked the ball up from deep, ran toward the halfway line and played a quite stunning ball to Watkins for the opener is why Emery brought him to the club.
Give Olsen his due
Villa’s back-up shot-stopper has come under fire from fans because of his poor performances since signing for the club.
Look, it’s not easy being number two to a World Cup winner.
But, against Lazio, he looked far better and deserves credit for looking comfortable in between the sticks, commanding his area and building up very well from the back.
Villa’s speed going forward
Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey started the game for the first time in Villa colours, with Watkins leading the line, and it showcased the speed the team has in transition.
Added to the aggressive nature of the midfield and their ability to win the ball back high up, the above three are going to cause all sorts of problems this forthcoming season.
Especially in the first half against Lazio, the Serie A side just couldn’t cope with the frantic and all-action nature of Villa’s attacking trio.
McGinn playing his best football
Prior to Emery coming in, the Scotland International, who was made captain by Steven Gerrard, was well off it, with his form declining at a worrying rate.
But as soon as Emery entered the building, McGinn’s form flipped on its head and he produced some of his best football since.
And now, all summer in pre-season, and against Lazio, he isn’t letting up and showing signs that he is perhaps going to much higher levels.
It’s the intelligence with which he plays. How he picks up pockets of space in the final third. At times, he even acts like a centre-forward. All of this is Emery improving his footballing brain and taking his game to even higher heights.
