Villa draw at Burnley and perplex Dave Woodhall yet again.
Somewhere in the world, in some league, there must be a more unpredictable club than the Villa. For what seems like an eternity we’ve almost always followed up spell-blindingly good performances with dire ineptitude, failed to move on when success seemed inevitable. So really, there should have been no surprise when we failed to travel to Burnley and get the win that would have made the Champions League virtually certain.
Thursday evening has been one of the great nights. It had been a time when some mediocre league form had been forgotten and glory beckoned. It wouldn’t have been too much to ask for a similar performance on Sunday. Maybe not exactly the same, but it wouldn’t have to be. Burnley are already relegated, they haven’t got a point in what seems an age and we couldn’t have hoped for better opposition. Win this one and we could coast all the way to Istanbul.
The team Unai picked naturally enough had a few changes but it should still have been more than enough to get a result. Instead of that they went a goal down when a long-range shot was pushed out by Emiliano Martinez and the rebound fell to a Burnley attacker rather than a Villa defender. It could easily have been two-nil, but Martinez did well and gradually Villa got into the game with Watkins having a goal disallowed.
Three minutes before the break Ross Barkley met a John McGinn corner for the equaliser. Ten minutes into the second half and a long ball from Martinez was finished superbly. Two-one up against a team whose spirit must have been as low as its form and there shouldn’t have been much problem hanging onto the lead, if not extending it. This, though, is the Villa we’re talking about.
No sooner had they taken the lead than Matty Cash lost the ball for the equaliser. There was over half an hour left to rectify the problem but Villa really didn’t have much inclination or desire to get the winner. Substitutes came on, perhaps too late, but there was still no great improvement although Emiliano Buendia should have rounded off a memorable week when he was fouled in the box.
Premier League VAR, though, is clearly less reliable than its European counterpart and concluded that his boot is capable of leaving his foot without help. That was all the excitement for one match, and for one week. The other results went against us so we’ll still be battling on two fronts for the rest of the season.
Villa’s league form is undoubtedly a worry. It’s gone from title-contending to relegation-battling and any idea that all would be well once the midfield injuries had cleared up has now long gone. We can still perform in Europe, but why we can do that against an English team in one competition but not in the league, is a mystery that could baffle even the most experienced Villa-watcher.
Perhaps it’s because a squad that’s been together more or less intact for four years is now unable to pit in two big performances in a week. It might be that they know their time together is coming to an end and they want something tangible as a reward. Or perhaps Villa’s age-old inconsistency is something beyond even the talents of McGinn & co.
