Aston Villa had an afternoon to forget at the Amex yesterday, as Unai Emery’s side lost 1-0 to Brighton in the Premier League.
Before facing Aston Villa, Roberto De Zerbi’s side were without a Premier League win in six games, telling of Villa’s lack of conviction and energy on the South Coast.
The Villans were far from their usual levels, which must be attributed to their bustling schedule in balancing the Europa Conference League with Premier League action, seeing a host of players way off the mark against Brighton.
READ MORE: Aston Villa player ratings v Brighton
It was a day to forget for Villa, as the minutes ticked on and the visitors showed little sign of life, as Robin Olsen kept the Midlands club in the game until the 87th minute.
A foul in the area saw Ezri Konsa concede a penalty, one that Joao Pedro missed from the spot but agonisingly scored from the rebound.
A 1-0 defeat flattered Villa in the end as Unai Emery’s side conceded 15 shots, firing just two at Brighton’s goal in 90 minutes, telling of the lack of energy in the squad.
It was a lacklustre day for the majority of the squad however, several stood out as having a day to forget at the Amex.
Ezri Konsa and John McGinn disappointed against Brighton
Konsa had a difficult day at right-back trying to keep the tireless Simon Adingra quiet, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp saying the 26-year-old found it ‘really hard’ to handle the Brighton winger.
As well as conceding the decisive penalty, it was a bad day at the office for the Englishman, who wasn’t the only Villan who struggled.
Journalist Matt Maher described Villa skipper John McGinn as a player whose ‘energy levels simply weren’t there’, handing the midfielder a 6/10 match rating, via Express and Star, saying:
‘Did his best to get Villa motoring, but the energy levels simply weren’t there. Will be frustrated with his distribution at times.’
The 29-year-old completed just 28 passes in the 90 minutes he played at the Amex, completing no crosses and only two out of his five attempted long balls.
The fixture seemed to epitomise the lack of depth and increase in fixtures at Villa at present, with McGinn being one of a handful of Emery’s players who played 90 minutes on both Thursday and Sunday.
Aston Villa have seen their midfield struggle recently
Along with Douglas Luiz, Villa’s midfield has looked particularly disjointed in recent weeks, seeing the pivot receive some criticism for their lack of presence.
READ MORE: Unai Emery told ‘strange’ Aston Villa duo were ‘miles away’ against Chelsea
Since the absence of Boubacar Kamara, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury in February, Emery has had a job on his hands trying to restore the balance that the pairing of Luiz and Kamara handed Villa, something that has since proven to be irreplaceable.
With a crucial game against Olympiacos fast approaching on Thursday evening, it will be interesting to see how McGinn, Luiz and the jaded Villa side react to the task at hand in Greece.
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