Villa’s season begins by drawing with Newcastle. Dave Woodhall comments.
It’s that time of the year when I repeat the old adage I was once told about how for the first two or three games of the season performance is more important than results. I hope it isn’t true this time because if this particular opening game was anything to go by, we’re in for a pretty uninspiring time.
After the customary lack of information about what would be happening at the turnstiles and the dire warnings about getting in early, the Villa Park opening day experience wasn’t that bad, and certainly better than the chaotic scenes of the previous two tears. It wasn’t perfect, and there were the sort of queues that would bring one star Google reviews at other venues competing for the leisure pound, but we’re getting used to it by now.
And so onto the match. With the best keeper in the world out, new signing Marco Bizot made his debut and there was a notable lack of Leon Bailey anywhere on the teamsheet – which means hes almost certain to join Jacob Ramsey as Villa’s Uefa/Premier League-imposed punishment for daring to challenge the elite.
We’ve also had to pay up for Multiball infringements last season and we weren’t allowed to use it for this one. More on that later.
Villa started sluggishly and Bizot certainly had plenty of opportunities in the first half to show that he’s an upgrade on Robin Olsen. He did that alright, and with Villa not showing much up front, goal-less at half-time was no great surprise.
They looked more promising after the break, although Boubacar Kamara and Ollie Watkins could have made the Newcastle keeper work a bit harder with the chances that fell to then, then midway through the second half Villa’s hopes were dampened with the dismissal of Ezri Konsa.
Konsa, who’s been suffering from the strange malaise that often affects Villa players once they get into the England team (also known as Agbonlahor Syndrome) was undone by a quick break and there was no complaint about the straight red.
This meant Villa were hanging on for a point rather than chasing three and in the end they dug in well, even if digging in well at home against a team with the same ambitions isn’t what you should be looking for. They were also helped by that multiball nonsense, which meant there was less playing time towards the end than there might otherwise have been.
Unai Emery has said that Villa are up against it with PSR and even the imminent departures of Bailey and Jacob Ramsey might not provide any help. Perhaps he could have given Donyell Malen more time and it was disappointing that Villa’s one big summer signing, Evann Guessand, wasn’t brought on.
Against that, losing to Newcastle would have been a big blow so maybe it’s best to take that point and rely on a bit of Emery-inspired sorcery in the transfer market before the end of the month. He’s done it before; he’ll do it again.
