So Aston Villa are up and running for the first time this season, a solitary goal securing victory over Bologna in their Europa League opener.
Unai Emery’s men are favourites to win the competition he has made his own down the years, thanks to four successes spread between Sevilla and Villarreal.
But the glory days don’t appear to be beckoning for Villa and the nature of this triumph – their first since May 16 in any competition – did little to quell the unease. This is a story that must be followed closely.
Daily Mail Sport’s DOMINIC KING was at Villa Park and he has picked out the key talking points from the clash.
Aston Villa got their first win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Bologna on Thursday night
Villa had to battle hard for the victory though, and there is plenty of work for Unai Emery to do
APPREHENSION AND TENSION
It’s easy for trust to erode when form falters. Emery seemed ready to burst with enthusiasm when he settled down on Wednesday to preview this game but his excitement, seemingly, was not shared by the locals.
This stadium is usually so atmospheric but it all felt rather humdrum throughout.
You sensed it would be like this outside Villa Park before kick-off, as there was no bounce or sense of occasion, as was the cade 12 months ago when Bayern Munich rolled into town to recreate the 1982 European Cup final.
If the Holte End is Villa’s 12th man, it hasn’t been summoned for action yet.
The atmosphere at Villa Park was flat however, and it was a marked difference to a year ago
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
Villa epitomise the team that is unsure about itself. Marco Bizot, deputising for the injured Emi Martinez in goal, fluffed his first two passes and the jitters apparent on Wearside last Sunday were obvious in the early skirmishes.
Opponents better than Bologna, with respect, would have profited. And, really, the Italians will be frustrated that they never took a point.
In these circumstances, you have to look for you leader and John McGinn will never, ever go missing.
He had addressed the 1-1 draw with Sunderland his team-mates in the dressing room and reminded them of their responsibilities. His words registered but they needed backing up with actions.
Full credit, then, to this Scottish dynamo. His tension-lancing goal was a beauty, a left-foot drive that skidded in after 13 minutes.
Even better, however, was his leadership and energy – he talks so much on the pitch you wonder how he has voice left at the end.
John McGinn scored the game’s only goal and Villa’s captain led from the front throughout
EMERY ON EDGE
But the goal didn’t have restorative effects. Emery acknowledged it with a shake of his fists – much lower key than you would have anticipated – but to study him through the game was to see a man who can feel tension like the way cold creeps through your body on a winter’s day.
At one point, fourth official Jose Luis Munera had to ask him to return to his technical area after straying too far down the line.
He paced back and forth, grimaced, growled and looked as distracted as man sprinting to catch the last train home.
Contentment seems some way away and the five minutes of added time for him were torturous.
Unai Emery appeared extremely tense and animated on the touchline at Villa Park
WATKINS WILTS
Perhaps Emery might have found it had substitute Ollie Watkins converted a 66th minute penalty, which he had won – some would say fortuitously given how he ran across Martin Vitik – himself.
But, instead, his kick lacked conviction and was turned away by Lukas Skorupski.
Has Watkins been the same since a move to Arsenal failed to materialise in January? Not really. He’s not scored since May 10 and something isn’t right.
He was linked with both Liverpool and Newcastle during the summer window but no interest was followed up.
His plight is indicative of his team. You know there is quality lurking within and, perhaps, it will only need one moment for it all to start flooding out but, as things stand, he can’t buy a goal.
His penalty was as bad as the header he botched in the last minute at the Stadium of Light.
Ollie Watkins missed a penalty and he has not been the same player now for a lengthy period
TURN THE TIDE
Easier said than done. There has been upheaval behind the scenes this week, speculation about Emery’s future – which he robustly rejected – and the sense that the players have plateaued after three years of persistent progress.
Fulham, Feyenoord and Burnley await before the international break but then it gets really hard: the worry for Emery, as things stand, is that opponents will be rubbing their hands at the prospect of playing them. It’s not going to get smoother any time soon.
