Aston Villa lost 4-1 to Columbus Crew in their US pre-season tour opener, seeing fans rush to say one thing about Enzo Barrenechea.
Unai Emery’s side were left stunned by Columbus Crew in the early hours of Sunday morning, as Aston Villa conceded four against the MLS club.
Villa lost 4-1 to Columbus to kick off their tour of the United States, ending their unbeaten start to pre-season.
The Villans’ only goal came from Cameron Archer, who finished clinically to take something away from the game that was driven by Villa errors.
It was clear which team had travelled across the world earlier in the week as some lackadaisical play from the visitors gifted Columbus countless chances to score.
While there are many areas for Emery to study for improvement, the manager will also have some positives to assess despite the heavy defeat.
One plus was the performance of Enzo Barrenechea, who earned a host of praise from fans for his cameo in the States.
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Aston Villa fans praise Enzo Barrenechea for pre-season display against Columbus Crew
Earlier this month, Villa welcomed Barrenechea to the club as part of the deal with Juventus to offload Douglas Luiz.
There were some reservations over Villa’s plan to replace the Brazilian with the Argentine, who has only played one full senior season in his career.
Still, it’s impossible to judge a player before he’s put on the claret and blue, with Barrenechea impressing during the early days of pre-season.
Against Columbus Crew it was no different, as fans flooded X to react to the 23-year-old’s performance.
Barrenechea played 63 minutes in central midfield against the MLS side, with one fan seeing enough to predict big things from both the Argentine and fellow new arrival Amadou Onana.
“Barrenechea and Onana midfield could be the blueprint long term.”
Praise for the newbies was continued by another supporter who said, “Nedeljkovic , Barrenechea, Illing Jr and Barkley… Wow they all look like they’ve been here for years.”
Focusing on Barrenechea, one fan described the midfielder as “unpressable”, with another calling him a “proper player”.
As well as applauding the Argentine’s strength, several watching supporters formed a comparison between the youngster and Luiz with one even asking, “Douglas who?”
Another Villa follower said, “He’s VERY Douglas Luiz in possession. So calm, so polished and technically adept. Really like him. He’s 23 .. he’s ready.”
Barrenechea will be crucial to Villa this season
While the captures of Ross Barkley, Onana and Barrenechea are promising, Emery will be tasked with the challenge of replacing Boubacar Kamara and Luiz.
The duo were Villa’s favoured pivot last season, with the Frenchman set to miss the opening months of the campaign after sustaining an ACL injury in February.
As a result, Emery’s midfield options have shrunk, particularly those capable of playing the defensive side of the game, something that Barrenechea is proving he can deal with.
It will be fascinating to see how the 23-year-old’s form continues for the remainder of pre-season, with the manager having a bold call to make ahead of the start of the 2024/25 calendar.
