Match Review: Emery’s Game Plan Error, Martinez & Villa Grit – Brentford 1 – 1 Aston Villa
Villa battled back to gain a point against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. It was a tough game for Villa and the game plan didn’t quite work but somehow we found a way to grind out a point away from home.
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Brentford came out for the second half all guns blazing…
Podcast Transcript
Welcome back to another episode of “The Villa Society” podcast, where we analyse the latest fixtures featuring Aston Villa and discuss the key aspects that influenced the game.
I’m your host, Paul James, and today we’ll be talking about the hard-fought away match between Aston Villa and Brentford.
Before we start, we’d love it if you’d subscribe or follow the podcast. I know every podcast says this but genuinely this would make a massive difference. We have a pretty new podcast and the more exposure from ratings and reviews the more content we’ll be able to put out. So just take a second to look at spotify, apple music or wherever you’re listening and make sure you subscribe… do a quick rating or review. It will help us so so much! It’s much appreciated!
Now on with this week’s episode!
A 1-1 draw with Aston Villa snatching a late equaliser.
Before jumping into this episode, I think after that amazing Newcastle result we just need to put things into perspective a bit… it’s so easy to get carried away as a fan.
We are a work in progress and just looking down the table at this year’s relegation battle, it’s terrifying. I’m just so happy how far we’ve come this season and wallowing in our top half position without the stress of a relegation scrap.
Whatever happens in the remaining fixtures, I’m going to enjoy it… whether we make it to Europe or not this season… It’s really exciting to see what happens in the summer and the progress next season.
If you look at the stat that: Since March 2022: 42% of Villa attacks have come down the left-hand side. I’d be interested to see if in the summer we do something to provide another outlet on the right that we can alternate between.
For what has been decades or ups and downs and lots of downs… It finally feels like we’re heading in the right direction.
Pause
We’re going to be looking at three key aspects of this game.
[SEGMENT 1: Villa Lineup and Tactical Adjustments] [SEGMENT 2: Standout Player Performance – Martinez’s first half] [SEGMENT 3: Game-Changing Moment – Villa fresh legs and fighting spirit]
But, before we dive into the 3 key aspects, let’s have a look at some interesting stats going into this game.
We’re going to try this new segment for our match reviews after every game. So here it is our Stats Blast!
Stats Blast:
Aston Villa: 9 games unbeaten,
Would have been 6 wins on the bounce – not done since February 1990.
Watkins having come into this game on the back of 11 goals in 12 games.
69 games in the Premier League for Emery, never involved in a 0-0.
Unai Emery has become the first manager in Premier League history to see his club score in each of their first 19 games in charge. Record breakers.
Since March 2022: 42% of Villa attacks have come down the left-hand side. Again today proved key.
Seven of Douglas Luiz’ nine goal involvements in the Premier League this season have come under Unai Emery (three goals, four assists), indeed only Ollie Watkins has been involved in more goals (20) for Aston Villa this season.
Brentford have only lost 2 games at home this season
There you have it, some interesting stats going into this game.
In this episode, we’ll dive deep into three key elements that shaped the game: Tactical adjustments by Unai Emery, standout player performances, and game-changing moments. Let’s get started!
Despite not being at their best and facing a dominant Brentford side, Villa managed to snatch a late equaliser through Douglas Luiz. Brentford, who had been the better side for most of the game, they blew several clear cut chances throughout the game.
[SEGMENT 1: Villa Lineup and Tactical Adjustments]
Host: Aston Villa were unchanged from their impressive 3-0 home victory against Newcastle last weekend. Dendoncker remained in the team to add some calm and control in front of the defence.
Thomas Frank seems to have done his homework and Brentford managed to stifle Villa and exploit some weaknesses in our full backs. Brentford’s front three, Mbeumo, Toney and Schade all played well. Toney got MOTM for Brentford but I actually thought Mbeumo had a great game… causing us all sorts of issues.
In the first half, Villa tried passing the ball around the back and also had Martinez going long quite often like the Newcastle game. I think they were testing out the Brentford press here… to see if they could have the same impact as against Newcastle where there was lots of space for our midfield between the lines.
Buendia did test Brentford’s goalkeeper David Raya early on after a good run through the middle… from the centre circle I think it was outside of the boot with his right. It was curling into the bottom corner but Raya got a hand to it.
Martinez came to claim from some dangerous Brentford low crosses (including one from Schade), Moreneo also with a key block against Mbeumo before he could pull the trigger, sprinted back with a sliding tackle.
Overall in the first half we were doing ok, Brentford did threaten with some good chances, it looked like we were trying to restrict them to the space outside our box.
Villa’s high line, particularly, seemed to work well for the team. Catching Brentford offsiding quite a few times.
Pause I feel Emery was playing to keep things tight in the first half to frustrate Brentford a bit and silence the home crowd. We’ve seen it in other away games. Villa not particularly playing champagne football but going into the break 0-0 and frustrating the home support… with the intention of taking a few more risks in the second half and picking off opponents.
A classic recent example being the Spurs vs Villa away game where we went in 0-0 and picked them off in the 50th minute with a goal from Buendia… then when the opponent is 1 nil down they have to take more risks leaving them open to the counter from Villa… against Spurs Luiz got the second to cap off an impressive away win. We also picked Everton off in the second half at Goodison.
Against Brentford we rode our luck in that first half and I think Thomas Frank knew what was coming. Brentford came out in the second half and dominated for the first 20 minutes.
[SEGMENT 2: Standout Player Performance – Martinez in first half]
Host: Emi Martinez put in an excellent performance during the first half, making crucial saves and keeping Villa in the game.
A key moment involving Martinez was his fantastic save from Toney’s shot in the first half, keeping Villa in the game. The save was a showcase of his lightning-fast reflexes to smother the attempt, denying Brentford what seemed like a sure goal. It came from a ball in from Schade into the 6 yard box.
Even in the air, Martinez was commanding the area and caughting everything. At one point he came out of his box to sweep up a tackle, it was a great tackle even if it was offside.
Unfortunately, Martinez had to be replaced by Robin Olsen at halftime due to illness (apparently threw up at half time). Olsen had previously struggled against Manchester United in the FA Cup, and his presence in goal seemed to affect Villa’s confidence in playing out from the back.
Martinez’s exit from the game left Villa with a less experienced and somewhat cagey Olsen in goal, who had previously shown weakness in a match against Manchester United in the FA Cup.
[SEGMENT 3: Game-Changing Moments or Decisions – Spirit, Fresh legs and fighting spirit]
Host: Several game-changing moments or decisions played a pivotal role in the outcome of the match.
Schade misses an open goal as Mbeumo clips the ball over villa’s high line and he heads at goal. Olsen saves but spills it, I think he should catch it… he tries to push the ball away but Schade gets there first and tries to turn his body towards goal to strike the ball but he slices it into the slide netting… he had more time than he realised. A huge chance and a huge miss.
Brentford took the lead in the 65th minute through Ivan Toney, who capitalised on Ashley Young’s failure to mark him properly. Toney’s left-footed shot found its way past Olsen, giving Brentford the advantage.
Young tried to clear it with his right boot, but missed it leaving the ball to Toney to side foot home through Olsens legs. To be fair to Brentford this was a great cross from Mbeumo as Moreno failed to stop the cross. The ball lands in the 6 yard box at the far post. I don’t think you can question Olsen too much on this goal.
However, Villa showcased their determination and resilience, refusing to give up until the very end. In the last 10 minutes, they finally started to play their best football, and their relentless pressure paid off. The goal Kick Started villa.
We threw 3 subs on on 66 minutes. We were trying to get them on before Brentford scored… they were well on top and you could see we needed to change something. I even tweeted about it a minute before. Villa didn’t have a chance to get fresh legs on before they scored.
Digne came on from Moreno, Chambers for Young and Traore for Dendoncker as we chased the game.
Brentford had an early warning just before the equaliser. Buendia playing in Ramsey in the box who’s marked closely by a Brentford player. He’s learning back and scoops it over the bar. A huge chance really and should have scored.
Douglas Luiz scored a late equaliser in injury time, securing a great away point that we were lucky to get. There’s something to be said about good teams that play poorly and still pick up points. For too long Villa have had a soft underbelly where we’d roll over in a fixture like this and going 1-0 down at that stage in a game.
The decisive moment for Villa came in the 87th minute (late!) when Villa started to apply pressure on Brentford’s defence. The buildup to the equalising goal began with John McGinn passing the ball to Lucas Digne on the left side. Digne played the ball into the box, where Buendia was present to lay it off to Douglas Luiz. Luiz calmly side-footed the ball into the net, snatching a crucial point for the team.
I loved Dougy’s celebration, he loves it but i also loved John McGinn’s reaction. Pulling Luiz away saying we haven’t got time for this lets get on a get the winner.
Bit of persistence as we’d played that ball into the box from Digne a few times before. And fair play to him for coming back into the team and making a difference. I’ve spoken in previous podcasts about the difference between him and Moreno in that Moreno can beat a man and get to the by-line. It was Digne and his quality delivery that made the difference here.
When he first came on he sat wide on the wing and kept coming backwards rather than down that line… It was frustrating at first but as we applied pressure he became a key outlet in getting dangerous crosses in. He had been booted in the head earlier with no free kick but carried on and did well.
The Luiz’s goal kickstarted a late rally, showcasing Villa’s recent character, but overall, we’d looked pretty toothless for most of the game. Watkins had hardly touched the ball all game.
It can be argued that Aston Villa were a bit lucky in this game, as they didn’t play their best football and only really started to shine in the last 10 minutes. However, the determination and never-say-die attitude ultimately helped them secure a crucial point against Brentford.
This result sees Unai Emery’s visitors move five points behind fourth-placed Newcastle, who now have two games in hand. Brentford, on the other hand, ended a run of three straight defeats but felt it was two points dropped after a dominant display. Even Ivan Toney in his post match interview said Villa were “relentless”.
Thomas Frank – “There should only be one winner of this game,” he said. “We were close to a complete performance. If Brentford were close to a complete performance and we’ve gone away with a point I’m happy with that… especially since Brentford have only lost twice at home all season.
[OUTRO]
Host: That’s all for today’s episode of “The Villa Society” podcast!
We’ve covered the key aspects of the 1-1 draw between Aston Villa and Brentford. It’s clear that this Villa team really has a spirit and determination to keep fighting, even when they’re not at their best.
We hope you enjoyed our in-depth analysis, and we’ll be back next week to discuss the Fulham game. I’m going for a 2-0 to Villa at home. Watkins and Moreno on the score sheet.
Until then, I’m your host, [Your Name], signing off. Up the Villa!
