Steve Bruce’s Aston Villa hosted Middlesbrough on Tuesday in what appeared to be an excellent opportunity for the Villans to bag all three points, a goalless stalemate was the eventual outfit of the game. The home game for Villa hardly had anything to talk fondly about apart from the three points noted below.
Johnstone Back To His Best
Against the Bees, Aston Villa earned their first clean sheet of the season, thanks to Sam Johnstone’s shot-stopping abilities and impeccable reflexes time and again and they did well to back it up against Boro. One of the sensational actions taken by Bruce was signing the custodian on loan from Manchester United yet again after a successful loan spell last season.
The 24-year-old was unarguably the main reason why the Lions could earn a point from their last fixture. Despite two commendable players in the shapes of John Terry and James Chester, the duo wasn’t exceptional at the heart of the defence, but despite that, Johnstone discharged his duties quite well and a lot would be expected from him in the upcoming fixtures.
Youngsters Were Decent Enough
The likes of Jedinak and Snodgrass might not have had a galvanizing impact during the game, but they have really been the shining examples of young blood with immense potential and calibre. Frankly speaking, they did try to chalk something in favour of their employers.
While Bjarnason kept toiling relentlessly on the left flank, Davis held the ball well up front but was deprived of services. Onomah also worked hard against Brentford and the trio should be upping the ante from here on.
Competition For Places
James Bree was handed a start at the weekend, but the 19-year-old couldn’t really impress. He wasn’t industrious whilst going forward and was shaky at the back. With the likes of Alan Hutton and Ritchie De Laet in Bruce’s ranks all ready to be used in the right-back slot, Bree should have performed in a better manner. Nonetheless, challenges for earning a spot in the starting line-up are crucial to derive the best out of the players.
Davis, however, did a good job up front as despite the availability of Scott Hogan, he was given the nod. The 19-year-old did his basics right but owing to the lack of deliveries to him, he couldn’t find the back of the net. The competition for striker’s position will also be huge in the coming games, especially after Jonathan Kodjia returns.
