Player Match Ratings: A stroll in the park for the Foxes!

[John]

We have lost every game that we have started without Jack since we returned to the Premier League and we do not get many points from games when we go a goal behind. Given that and the absence of Matty Cash, defeat was not perhaps entirely unpredictable after 23 minutes had elapsed yesterday.    

The Foxes were out of their blocks quickly at the start of yesterday’s game and we were anything but. They were much sharper, and it seemed evident that their early dominance was likely to lead to goals and so it proved. Two goals on 19 and 23 minutes, left us with a mountain to climb and we did not really get out of base camp often enough to seriously threaten to complete an effective comeback.

We did pull a goal back just after half time and we also spent a fair bit of time in their half during the last quarter of the game, but Leicester had by then dropped back and were content to protect their lead. They were able to do so without us really causing them any serious concern and without us troubling Schmeichel as often as we should have done.  

This defeat looks narrower than it was. Leicester having gone two goals ahead in the first quarter of the game, then took their foot off the pedal, in the knowledge that without Jack, they had probably already done enough. We seemed rather too ready to accept that without Jack, winning this game might prove beyond us and did not do enough to disprove the accusation that we are a one-man team. This was too easy a game for Leicester to win yesterday. Once again, this was a game of two halves. During the first we were just not good enough. In the second, we did improve, but not enough to become a serious threat to the visitors lead.  

Our visitors have now won 9 games away from home this season and we have lost as many at Villa Park, as we have won, so the higher placed side probably started favourites to gain revenge for their earlier home defeat by us. This result gives both clubs three points each from games against each other this season and an aggregate score of 2-2. Honours are therefore even, but what a pity it was that we could not somehow get a second late goal against the Foxes this season, yesterday.      

It will be all about Leicester after this game and their battle for a Champions League place. We were in a position where a win would have taken us within reach of a place in the top six yesterday, but not for the first time this season we failed to take an opportunity to get amongst them. Instead, it is Leicester, Everton and the increasingly fortunate West Ham that are rubbing shoulders with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United. We have again, put ourselves in a position where our away results (this time at Leeds) need to compensate for our home deficiencies, if we are to retain our top half placing.  

That said, we would all have been ecstatic about being in our current league position at this point of the season, at the end of last season. We are also not the only club, whose home form has been inconsistent this season (although clubs such as Liverpool have recently been stringing together a run of consistent home performances!). We still have games in hand, although top six is looking further away today than it did yesterday, it is still attainable, as is most definitely a top half finish. What we must do now is not let our present league placing slip

The watching Southgate will no doubt have been impressed by the performances of Maddison and Barnes yesterday, the later of which is making a late claim for one of the Euro places that Jack has already secured in most people’s eyes, perhaps excluding the watching “wally in the waistcoat”? I wonder, did he come to Villa Park to watch them, Jack, or all three of them? What I do know, is that it would have been a good game for Jack to have made a strong case for an England starting place in, had he been fit to do so.

My player ratings from a game that was a hard watch are:

Emiliano Martinez – 6 – Emi got a hand to their first on 19 minutes but was unable to keep it out of the bottom left-hand corner of his net. He was then unable to hold Vardy’s 23rd minute shot and Barnes was by some distance, first to pounce upon the resultant loose ball to add the second. Comfortably held a 1st minute Ricardo shot, diving to his right and held a shot from the same player on 22 minutes, diving to his left, that was otherwise bound for the top right-hand corner. Collected a 54th minute Tielemans shot from outside of the box easily and then dived to his right to push a 30-yard Maddison free-kick past the post for a corner. Was swiftly at the edge of his box on 71 minutes to claim the ball before Vardy was able to.     

Ahmed Elmohamady – 5 – Elmo is not Matty Cash, but he worked hard and produced as much as can now reasonably be expected from him. Keeping Barnes quiet was a big ask of him.

Ezri Konsa – 6 – Got an important 11th minute block on a Barnes shot, after he had beaten Elmo too easily.

Tyrone Mings – 7 – Almost got us a late point when he glanced a header from a 95th minute Elmo cross wide of the far post. Tyrone was solid under pressure and did well to keep Vardy reasonably quiet.

Matt Targett – 8 – MOTM – Got an assist on 48 minutes when he played a nice one-two with McGinn before hitting a lovely cross into the box that produced Bert’s goal. Did not put a foot wrong throughout, was solid at the back and moved forward well.                 

Anwar El Ghazi – 5 – Brought into the team in Jack’s absence. Jack’s are clearly immense boots to fill and it would be unfair to expect Anwar to compensate for his absence or to replicate the way he can make the whole team tick. Substituted on 67 minutes, having not really made a big impact on the game or produced a performance that was on a par with his recent encouraging displays.

Douglas Luiz – 5 – Not at his best, could this have been a game when we could have considered starting Marvelous alongside him and McGinn further forward than he was? Hit a good 32nd minute cross that Konsa was unable to get his head to and which ran off his back to the left and to safety.

John McGinn – 5 – Put in a lot of work yesterday, but I wonder how much a deeper role really suits John and the team, particularly today? What we do have is his industry and tenacity, but what we seem to be missing is his previous threat on the edge of the opposition’s box, his strong forward runs and he also seems to have mislaid his shooting boots. Hit a ball that had bounced out of the box towards him in a central position, well over the bar from about 30 yards after 35 minutes. 

Ross Barclay - 4 - This was an opportunity for Ross to step into the role of our main play maker in Jack’s absence, but he failed to do so, after a reasonable start. There is a quality player there, as we witnessed earlier in the season, when he worked so well in unison with Jack, but since his return he has not reached that level. The reason why is open to question. I think he has not yet reached full fitness on his return to the side. His return from injury did coincide with the training ground being closed due to a COVID-19 outbreak, as well as with a drop off in Jack’s previous stellar performance levels, which cannot have helped him settle back into the team.      

Bertrand Traore – 7 – A well taken goal, a couple of nice moments and he managed to track back to help his full back on occasion, although this is something that he still needs to work at and that he was probably not expected to do, too often before he joined us. Bert looked favourite to get on the end of an inviting 17th minute El Ghazi cross into the box, only for Thomas to reach it fractionally before him, to block. However, he was in the right place at the right time on 48 minutes, when Targett’s cross for McGinn ran on towards him and he beat Schmeichel to it and hit the ball home.                                         

Ollie Watkins – 5 – Lacked service.    

Substitutes:

Mahmoud Trezuguet – 5 - Replaced El Ghazi on 67 minutes. Seems to have lost the knack of scoring that did so much to help us retain our top-flight status at the end of last season. He offers an increased work rate but is not currently nearly as effective up front as he was at the beginning of the season, let alone at the end of the last one. Slipped as he hit an 86th minute shot from outside of the box that slid along the turf and was easily gathered by Schmeichel.   

Jacob Ramsey – Came on for Barclay after 76 minutes. Not on quite long enough to gather a rating, but like our new signing, will now be pressing for a start, in a midfield that does not currently quite pick itself.  

Morgan Sanson – Replaced Douglas on 81 minutes. Not on long enough to earn a rating. Surely, he cannot be too far away from a starting place now or at least an earlier introduction off the bench?

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

[MrBlack]

Accurate write up,  as always. Reflecting on the game and reading this makes me desperate to see Ramsey and Sanson get a starting position. They've looked more than capable in their cameos lately,  and we've looked better after they've come on. Off the back of a poor overall performance, where we looked better after the changes, it would be criminal to keep the same starting 11.

During Jack's absence, we need their apparent mobility to make up for what we lose there. Barkley without Jack leaves us way to immobile at the creative end of the pitch,  and way too exposed defensively.