Aston Villa fans will be waking up on Sunday morning and finding out that Unai Emery’s side had a game to forget in the States.
Pre-season had started off pretty well for the boys in Claret & Blue, with everyone upbeat about what is ahead, following the wins over Walsall and Spartak Trnava.
But on Saturday evening, in Ohio, Aston Villa were deservedly beaten 4-1 by MLS side Columbus Crew.
A familiar face – ex-Watford winger Cucho Hernandez – netted a first-half hat-trick to punish a sorry and very poor Villa defence.
There weren’t many positives to take from the game, other than the return of injured players and new faces making their unofficial debuts.
Emiliano Buendia returned from a long-term injury for Aston Villa, whilst Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen were seen for the first time by fans after their summer transfers from Everton and Chelsea, respectively.
Both players, who recently returned from their break after the conclusion of Euro 2024, came on midway through the second half.
From the get-go, Onana, who stands at 6 feet 5 inches tall, made himself known as he went in for a crunching tackle.
But then, he showcased his ability on the ball by playing an inch-perfect threaded pass for the returning Jaden Philogene-Bidace to run through on goal from a tight angle.
Ian Taylor labelled the pass as ‘really good’ on Villa TV, only for Philogene’s shot on goal to be blocked by his opponent.
Later on in the half, Onana would then showcase his ball-carrying ability as he charged forward with the ball, whilst also being tugged back by his opponent and he, eventually, won the foul.
On the left-hand side, Maatsen was keeping things pretty simple early on, doing the basics right, but then he produced a brilliant piece of play by the byline.
Taylor was impressed as Maatsen nutmegged his opponent, skipped past him and delivered a wicked ball across the box from deep, but no Villa player could make contact with the ball.
Aston Villa lose to Columbus Crew in a pre-season friendly
“That’s nice from Onana,” said Taylor. “A really good ball there into Philogene-Bidace. He was right behind that, thinking he could curl it into the far corner, but the defender is positioned well.
On Onana’s charge forward: “He was showing good strength there, wasn’t he?! He (Yeboah) tries his hardest to pull Onana back, he doesn’t quite get him, but it’s enough for the referee to give the foul and a yellow card.”
On Maatsen’s quick footwork and cross: “That’s good play by Maatsen on that left-hand side. A nice little nutmeg. He flashes it across the six-yard box, again. As I said before, you suspect your centre-forward to be in there.”
No need for an overreaction
The players are still getting to know one another, it’s also about building your fitness, several players are here for the first time and others are returning from long-term injuries.
There were Three Things we spotted in Aston Villa’s defeat to Columbus Crew, with the Midlands side next in action on August 1 against RB Leipzig.
You suspect, the likes of John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey, Robin Olsen and Youri Tielemans – who were all watching on – will feature in that match.
Aston Viilla’s pre-season tour is ticking along nicely, the fans just need to make sure that they don’t overreact to defeats or even wins. All that matters is what happens when the season kicks off.
