Three Points, But We’re Still Finding Ourselves
Aston Villa came away from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium yesterday with a fantastic three points, and any away win in the Premier League should be celebrated.
However, Tottenham were the better side for large parts of the first half. Villa looked vulnerable at times, and if it wasn’t for Suzuki producing a number of excellent saves, we could easily have found ourselves behind before we eventually opened the scoring.
In fact, my Man of the Match was Suzuki. Without his contribution in that first half, I don’t think Villa win the football match. Goalkeepers don’t always get the headlines when a team scores three goals away from home, but his performance was crucial to our victory.
The goals themselves were a joy to watch. Jackson and Manzambi continue to show why Emery brought them to Aston Villa, and it was great to see both players get themselves on the scoresheet.
Buendia also deserves enormous credit. Not only did he score a fantastic goal, but I thought he worked tirelessly for the team. His defensive contribution was outstanding in the second half, and it was that type of performance that will keep some supporters off his back.
What pleased me most was seeing some of the newer players continue to take responsibility. Rightly there has been a lot of doom and gloom surrounding Villa since the summer changes, but these players are beginning to show signs that they can help carry the club forward.
That said, I was disappointed with the two late goals we conceded. At 3-0 up, I wanted Villa to see the game out professionally and come away with a clean sheet. It didn’t cost us the points, but it’s the sort of thing Emery will no doubt be reminding the players about.
The reality is that we’re still looking for our new identity as a football team. We all knew there would be a bedding-in period after so many changes to the squad. Some supporters expected everything to click immediately. I never did.
There will be bumps along the road, and there will be frustrations. But yesterday felt like another small step in the right direction. We’re not the finished article yet. Far from it.
However, we have one of the best managers in world football, and I have every confidence that Emery will guide us to where we need to be. For now, Villa won on the road, picked up three valuable points, and gave us all something to smile about. That’s good enough for me. UTV