Four Europa League titles are not enough for Aston Villa manager Unai Emery – he is chasing a fifth…
Yes, the Spaniard continued his impressive European record by guiding the Villans to their second continental semi-final in three seasons, beating Bologna on Thursday night.
|
Villa vs Bologna – Match Stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
The Villa |
Statistics |
Bologna |
|
46% |
Possession |
54% |
|
2.42 |
xG |
0.96 |
|
4 |
Great opportunities |
0 |
|
13 |
Shots |
11 |
|
3 |
It saves |
3 |
|
4 |
Corners |
2 |
|
13 |
Mistakes |
17 |
|
320 |
Passes |
382 |
|
14 |
Fighting |
11 |
|
16 |
Free kick |
13 |
Jonathan Rowe and his teammates made sure the Premier League side were made to work for their 3-1 away win last week, although it was a different story this time, as the two teams were truly a class apart.
Having been the two-goal hero in Bologna, it was Ollie Watkins who started things for the home side, before Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia did all but make sure they went ahead with a quick-fire double soon after.
With Ezri Konsa providing the icing on the cake at the death, as Villa were once again given the chance to change things up, it can be considered a job well done as far as Emery is concerned.
Rogers was back to his best as Villa beat Bologna
The headline from Thursday night is likely to be Rogers, with the England man looking his usual self after a tough week or so.
Indeed, the 23-year-old stood out against the likes of Rowe in last week’s hard-fought win, as he also missed a chance in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest.
Of course it wasn’t going well this time, I failed to convert the penalty spot, although Villa’s number 27 was very good, showing that it is very dangerous on the left side.
It was Rogers who teed up Watkins in the opener after a fine exchange with Buendia outside the area, with the former Middlesbrough man picking out his compatriot with a fine, looping pull-back.
He then stepped onto the pitch himself just before half-time, after missing his earlier spack-kipai, curling in a spectacular finish to give Emery’s men a vital goal heading into the break.
Subrogated after 74 minutes, Rogers left with a goal and an assist to his name, having registered three key passes in what was an eventful night for the Three Lions star.
It certainly felt like everything clicked into gear for the Villans, especially in an attacking sense, with Rogers not the only one to shine going forward.
The Aston Villa star looked like prime minister Jack Grealish
Emery has lifted the club to its highest level in the post-Jack Grealish years, although the former captain remains a touchstone when it comes to assessing Villa’s crop of attackers in the modern day.
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Speaking back in 2021, after Grealish’s exit, pundit Noel Whelan had suggested that the aforementioned Buendia could be “very important” as an Englishman, having previously been “the best player in the Championship” at Norwich City.
It didn’t happen that way, it has to be said, as the Argentine even spent part of last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, although on Thursday night, he looked worthy of Graalish’s number 10 shirt.
Watching Buendia against Bologna felt like watching a Birmingham-born maverick at the top, with the current Villa playmaker a threat in that left-back channel, moving between a central role and left-field.
As noted above, it was Buendia who helped Villa’s first shot of the night, after playing in Rogers in the build-up to Watkins’ goal, and somehow getting his teammates out of trouble after putting himself in the net after a failed kick attempt.
Perhaps Federico Ravaglia may feel he should have done better to keep the South American gunner away from the corner, though either way, the rejuvenated Villa man has now reached 15 goals and assists for the season in all competitions.
Considering he was on the verge of 2024/25, that’s a testament to the diminishing talent, with Buendia comfortably surpassing the likes of Leon Bailey and Jadon Sancho in that attacking group.
The way he can float between the lines and dictate proceedings is Grealish-esque, boasting that low center of gravity to stretch his way past opponents with ease.
He may have lost the ball 12 times in 34 touches on Thursday, but that was a sign of his desire to create and make things happen for his team, registering one key pass early on.
Rogers may be the main attraction of this Villa side, although it feels like the 4-0 win belonged to Buendia instead.
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