Aston Villa 2, Leicester 1, positives and negatives, player ratings and match report, Premier League fixture
01/04/2025 01:35 PM
Ruud van Nistelrooy did again a fools act by dropping Facundo Bounanotte, and strangely made changes to a set up that worked well vs. Man City. Jordan Ayew was back from start, Luke Thomas was also in the team, playing instead of Victor Kristiansen who was absent due to an illness.
We have nothing against Jordan Ayew as a footballer, he is one that brings a certain quality to the team, but compared to Facundo Bounanotte he is so far away from this type of quality that never should be faulted at this level.
As we highlighted in our preview, this game was in real lost before it started, so to go out with a negative approach and not play on the front foot would be what we said, a foolish act. Jordan Ayew is an alternative that gives you a certain defensive control, something we have seen being the one negative about Facundo Bounanotte, but with the Argentinian on the field together with Bilal El Khannouss you bring something very different to the field, a bold and very creative approach that would easily have seen more chances created and a better chance for Mavididi and Vardy to score goals. To leave out Bounanotte must be seen as a crime, so far out you cannot imagine.
Despite this foolish act, Leicester managed to keep Aston Villa quiet first half and very little was created from both teams. The first half became very quiet from both parties, with a few soft attempts from the home team taken care off by Jacub Stolarczyk and his safe hands. Leicester comes through the first half without conceding something to be proud about, but it was a bit of pressure from Aston Villa.
Away defeat.#AVLLEIpic.twitter.com/3YEJJk7tqM
— Leicester City (@LCFC) January 4, 2025
The second half starts a bit like the first half, without none of the teams having the attitude to put much pressure on each other. But as in the first half, Aston Villa has that little edge. And in the 58th minute we suddenly have a situation that Ross Barkley takes full advantage off, with his nice placed shot, 1-0. There was one place to shoot, and that should have been covered, but Leicester have a young up and coming goalkeeper in the goal at the moment and not a world class shot stopper, so not a major error, but believe Kasper Schmeichel, Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton had saved that shot 99 out of 100 attempts.
Full credit to the Leicester players for not letting their head fall to the ground and just 6 minutes later, Jordan Ayew snapped a ball out right, pushed forward and his pass to Jamie Vardy was perfect, with the captain getting his foot on it, to deflect and put to bed by Stephy Mavididi, 1-1.
Jannik Vestergaard had just a minute earlier left the field with something looking like an injury, RvN giving minutes to Wout Faes. Leicester are under heavy pressure from Aston Villa at this point, with Unai Emery showing his class, making to substitutions bringing on Buendia and Maatsen, as both are direct involved in the winning goal being scored by Leon Bailey, assisted by Buendia. This happens after a major failure from James Justin and also in the trouble Jordan Ayew.
Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy makes a number of changes, making little or no sense at this point as he decides to bring on Facundo Bounanotte and taking off Bilal El Khannouss, and by that just equal the creativity and not double it, so to see this manager act at this point, looks very odd, but hopefully he will learn his lessons. He also gives minutest to Caleb Okoli, Patson Daka and Bobby De Cordova-Reid.
Leicester are not able to create anything as the changes comes as a reaction on the goal scored after 76 minutes and in real has nothing to do with the fact that it is a plan put up at this point, it looks random and something you do, when you just have seen the defeat with your own clear eyes.
We had no hope of anything today really, a draw would have been a miracle, so to just see a defeat of 1-2 must be a result not far form reality, but with the way the team was selected, we start to wonder what is in real going on.
- Positives
- Looking controlled and defensive solid during first half, having 0-0 at half time
- After going one goal down, ability to score and equal the result just six minutes later
- Jacub Stolarczyk having a positive act, making a number of qualified saves
- Negatives
- Doing fatal errors in the back at a crucial time in the game, James Justin and Jordan Ayew having trouble to clear the ball out to at least a corner, but instead losing it in the worsed place possible
- Not being able to fight enough to bring at least one point home
- Soumare getting a new yellow just as full time is reached, so stupid and totally idiotic
- The manager not really rating Facundo Bounanotte and Bilal El Khannouss as the duo they are and bringing a more defensive approach to the team, picking Jordan Ayew.
- Ruud van Nistelrooy struggles to see his best eleven and as above not really having the faith in class acts and up and coming players, that is a stressfull scenario to watch.
- Five defeats in the last five games, difficult to see a positive future at this point, if it continues a new manager change might be the only solution as this looks a mess at this point
Player Ratings: Stolarczyk 6, Justin 4, Thomas 5, Vestergaard 6, Coady 5, Winks 5, El Khannouss 6, Vardy 5, Soumare 5, Mavididi 6, Ayew 6 Subs: Faes, Bounanotte, Okoli, Daka, De Corodova-Reid
- Leicester City, Man of the Match
- Jacub Stolarczyk
Match Stats (H/A)
- Possession: 60 / 40
- Shots on Target: 5 / 2
- Corners: 6 / 2
- Fouls: 10 / 11
