A relatively small number of away fans were inside the stadium as demand far outstripped availability, with some distributed about the rest of the stadium, a decent few loitering outside without tickets, and a large number watching on TV in the capital. Manchester United is catching up to Villa in more ways than one.
Because of its proximity to Amsterdam, Alkmaar was always going to be the big one in the group in terms of people traveling, but the way the results had gone, the match itself was possibly the most crucial as well. If Villa had lost, it would have made finishing first difficult, which meant Unai Emery’s team would be a fascinating one.
The outcome, of course, meant he was vindicated, adding to the proof that we have one of the best managerial minds in football. There were a few differences from the typical league lineup, including a new central defense partnership of Clement Lenglet and Diego Carlos to contend with. We also started Youri Tielemans and Leon ‘Mr Inconsistency’ Bailey on the wings.
The defenders did their duty, which was made simpler by the head start provided by the others. Ollie Watkins produced a nice interception after thirteen minutes, and a few plays later, the ball fell for Bailey to open the score. It temporarily quieted Alkmaar’s little drummer kid, and 10 minutes later he was even quieter when John McGinn intercepted another errant Alkmaar pass, his ball excellent for Tielemans to rush onto and place between the keeper’s legs.
A rare Alkmaar attack had a goal disallowed for offside, and they looked more lively in the second half, but Villa quickly put an end to any hopes with two goals in five minutes. Tielemans put Bailey through, and while his initial effort was stopped, the ball fell for Watkins to score Villa’s third goal. That demonstrated our England striker’s talent as a goalscorer; Villa’s fourth demonstrated his all-around ability, as he won the ball inside his own half to release Bailey down the flank, and John McGinn, breaking through the middle, was able to score his own goal.
There were five ‘Give them a few minutes’ substitutions, so it’s no surprise that Alkmaar grabbed one back, albeit it was more of an annoyance than a concern. Villa finished the game with three points, demonstrating to the rest of the group that we may have had a rough start, but we’re back on track now.
We’ve seen enough squad players fail to capitalize on their chances in cup games, so congratulations to the defensive pairing, who performed admirably, and also to Tielemans, who finally looked like the guy who was linked with a large money move a few years ago.
We’re halfway through the group stages and have already faced the two most challenging teams (the ones you’ve probably heard of). Qualification may be difficult, but it is now up to us, and you can’t ask for more than that.
