talkSPORT pundit Scott Minto slammed one Aston Villa player during the Villans’ dramatic penalty shootout victory over Lille on Thursday.
After the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate, Emi Martinez was the hero, saving two spot kicks to book Villa’s place in the Europa Conference League semi-final.
Villa were fortunate to take the tie to extra time. Lille were the better side for significant periods and produced an excellent first-half performance.
It was an uncharacteristic display from Villa, particularly after their superb victory at The Emirates on Sunday. Paulo Fonseca’s side pressed high and caused issues.
The likes of John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Douglas Luiz couldn’t deal with the ball in tight spaces, which was executed brilliantly last week.
Scott Minto slams Aston Villa midfielder after Lille incident
Speaking on talkSPORT 2’s co-commentary, Minto suggested Villa were correct in trying to play through Lille’s high line.
“The idea is right. You want your midfield to receive it from your centre-backs; they have to! Instead of going long or giving it back to Martinez all the time,” he explained [talkSPORT2, 18:51].
However, he was quick to highlight a poor touch from Tielemans as the visitors looked to play out.
“It’s a really poor touch from Tielemans, he has to do better,” he added
“He’s got to protect the ball. He’s almost looking up before the ball has even arrived. It shows just how tough Villa have found it.”
Aston Villa must find consistency after Lille wake-up call
The ease with which Lille picked Villa off in the first half was concerning. It felt as if some players didn’t trust their ability to break the press as they had done so brilliantly against Arsenal.
Consistency in this aspect will be vital ahead of Sunday’s upcoming clash against Bournemouth.
Emery will be delighted with the result on Thursday evening. The sign of a good team is to win ugly, and that’s precisely what Villa did. Plenty of grit and determination was needed to extend the club’s current European adventure.
Olympiacos now wait in the semi-final in what is another compelling European away day for the Villa Park faithful.
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