Aston Villa’s hopes of claiming a first piece of silverware since their Europa League triumph last season came to a crashing end against Bournemouth last night.
Unai Emery’s men fell to a 3-0 defeat at the Vitality on Wednesday – a scoreline which succumbed the Villans to a fourth-round exit in this season’s Carabao Cup.
It was certainly an evening to forget for the travelling supporters on the South Coast, but where did it all go wrong against the Cherries?
How Villa were sent crashing out of the cup by Bournemouth
The Vitality has been a happy hunting ground for Aston Villa over recent years, with the club avoiding defeat on such a ground in each of their last four meetings prior to Wednesday night.
However, the aforementioned record is now null and void, and you have to say Marco Rose’s side were full value for the 3-0 scoreline come the final whistle.
Amine Adli put the hosts ahead after just seven minutes, as the Moroccan international was picked out six yards from goal after a dinked pass by Julio Soler.
Emery’s men would go into the interval a goal behind, but just six minutes into the second period, one became two as Lewis Cook’e miss-hit cross found the back of the net.
Villa’s hopes of mounting a late comeback were extinguished 20 minutes from time, when Alvaro Rodriguez fired a low shot into the bottom corner from just over six yards out.
Four big chances and four big chances missed tells the full story for Emery and his side, who will need to put their focus into other competitions if they are to claim new silverware this term.
Aston Villa’s poor performers against Bournemouth
After his recent return from injury, winger George Hemmings was handed a first start in a little over six weeks, but it’s safe to say the youngster was unable to take full advantage.
The 19-year-old failed to direct any of his three efforts on target, whilst only completing 40% of the dribbles he attempted – highlighting his struggles to deliver in the final third.
Even without the ball, the Englishman was just as ineffective, as demonstrated by his ground duel success rate – which saw him lose 71% of the battles he entered.
Versatile first-team member Lamare Bogarde was another player to be handed a rare start on Wednesday night, but like Hemmings, he was unable to provide the goods at the Vitality.
The Dutchman operated at right-back within Emery’s starting eleven, but ultimately had the opposite effect as he registered an effort leading to a goal.
|
Lamare Bogarde – stats vs Bournemouth |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Touches |
47 |
|
Pass accuracy |
90% |
|
Errors leading to goal |
1 |
|
Tackles won |
0 |
|
Ground duels won |
3 |
|
Dribbles completed |
1 |
|
Blocks made |
0 |
His struggles were further demonstrated by his inability to win any of the tackles he entered, whilst only winning a total of three ground duels during his 90-minute showing.
Why Emery needs to drop 3/10 Villa star after Bournemouth
It was certainly an evening to forget for Emery and his side last night, but the manager will no doubt have seen the defeat as an eye- opener to the lack of depth in his senior ranks.
The Spaniard made nine changes for the trip to the South Coast, handing a plethora of squad players an opportunity to stake their claim for a regular starting role.
It’s safe to say the likes of Bogarde and Hemmings blew such a chance, but they certainly weren’t alone in failing to deliver the goods against the Cherries.
Attacker Emi Buendia was handed the opportunity to start in a number ten position behind Brian Madjo, but the Argentine massively underperformed compared to his usual standards.
The 29-year-old emulated Hemmings in taking a handful of shots on goal, but failed to trouble opposition ‘keeper Michele Di Gregorio with any of his four efforts.
He also struggled to get the better of the opposition defenders, with the midfielder only able to complete three of his attempted passes into the final third of the pitch.
Such a lack of quality undoubtedly prevented the Villans from getting on the scoresheet, and undoubtedly led to the hosts managing to ease to victory.
Buendia’s lack of quality in possession was further evident in his touch tally, with his tally of just 42 fewer than that of goalkeeper Marco Bizot, who registered 60.
Given his dismal showing, Emery decided to replace the Argentine after just 70 minutes, with Ross Barkley tasked with offering the Villans a route back into the contest.
As a result of his struggles, the former Norwich City man was handed a measly 3/10 match rating, further demonstrating how disappointing his performances on the South Coast.
Emery must now be left with no choice but to drop the attacker from his next starting eleven when his side host Fulham in the West Midlands on Saturday night.
He will certainly want a reaction from his side, but that will require a step up in quality to rectify last night’s defeat – something which the Argentine has shown he’s incapable of doing.
