Aston Villa walked away with a win from their penultimate pre-season test against Athletic Bilbao.
The Bescot Stadium played host to Villa’s duel with Athletic Bilbao, which ended in a 3-2 win for the Premier League side after 90 minutes.
Unai Emery will be relieved to have seen a higher level of performance from his squad following the club’s tour of the United States.
Goals courtesy of Jacob Ramsey, Jaden Philogene and Cameron Archer settled the scoreline, handing Villa the win with just one pre-season fixture remaining.
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Five things we learned from Aston Villa’s win over Athletic Bilbao
There were plenty of positives for Emery to take from Villa’s win, from dazzling individual displays to strong link up play from some new faces.
Like in every fixture, it wasn’t all rosy but pre-season is all about trial and error, here are five things we learned from Villa’s late victory.
Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey can play together
As Morgan Rogers blossomed in the latter stages of last season, there was some concern over whether the Englishman could play in a side with Jacob Ramsey.
The reason for this was due to their almost identical profiles however, the friendly against Athletic proved that Emery could unearth a force to be reckoned with by playing both.
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Ramsey starred and scored on the left side of midfield, while Rogers showed his versatility, thriving in central areas operating up front in the absence of Ollie Watkins.
Pau Torres is crucial in Unai Emery’s system
On the subject of Ramsey’s goal comes Pau Torres, whose presence in defence means more than just added stability at the back.
The Spaniard’s passing ability from defence opened up Athletic’s midfield to allow Youri Tielemans to then play in Ramsey, who finished expertly to open the scoring.
It was a dazzling passage of play and one that has become typical of Emery’s Villa side, an approach that could not happen without the progressive brilliance of Torres.
Youri Tielemans is the ideal partner for Amadou Onana
Ramsey’s goal seemed to be the trigger of many positives for Villa, as Youri Tielemans put in a statement shift to impress Emery.
The Belgian’s assist for the opener and his all round distribution and ability to dictate the tempo in midfield was inspiring, proving to the manager that he is the ideal partner for Amadou Onana.
The summer signing is used to pairing Tielemans in the Belgian national team, with the duo’s opposing strengths combining to fuse a strong pivot for Emery to build upon throughout the season.
Matty Cash is not a strong enough right-back
Unfortunately, the win didn’t just bring the positives to light, as the boss’ headache at right-back continues.
With Ezri Konsa only just returning from his summer break, Emery has had only Matty Cash and Kosta Nedeljkovic to call on in pre-season, with the 18-year-old rising as the stronger figure.
Against Athletic, Cash’s defensive frailties and lapses in concentration showed, particularly in the build up to Yeray Alvarez’s opener as the Poland international conceded the corner and then failed to cancel out the danger to prevent a cross.
Emery will have to see to his lack of depth on the right side ahead of the new season, as Cash continues to be a concern for the Villans.
Lamare Bogarde is ready
Moving onto a positive at the back, Lamare Bogarde was phenomenal at the Bescot Stadium in central defence.
The 20-year-old was handed more minutes by Emery and looked comfortable in the first team setting, hinting that he should be in the manager’s plans next term.
Villa fans had a lot to say about Bogarde after the win, as the Dutchman showed fantastic composure defensively and when looking to pass the ball forward.
