A tifo of the ‘Villa Villan’ cascaded from the Holte End.
The club character was holding four cards. The furthest one to the right read: “Aston Villa FC, ace of clubs.”
Symbolically, it was a not-so-subtle reminder that the home team, welcoming a direct rival, were holding the cards in the quest for a Champions League spot.
Ostensibly, this rang true. They had six points more than Chelsea and retained a relatively sound buffer. Perceptions, though, were different. Bluntly, the atmosphere encompassing Villa Park did not feel stable or excited. Instead, pessimism instead and anxiety was taking over.
By the end, those fears were justified. A galling 4-1 defeat, extending their run to one win in seven, was desperate and wild.
Villa Park had started to empty once Joao Pedro completed his hat-trick in the 64th minute. In the final, sombre throes, only the 50 supporters in the North Stand singing section could be heard. Like a choir playing as a hearse enters the church, they sang stoically, in defiance of what was unfolding on the pitch.
Following the 2-0 defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers five days earlier, Unai Emery outlined Chelsea as an “absolutely huge match”, even if he and his staff had wanted to remind supporters that being in contention for the top four is an achievement in itself.
Villa Park’s atmosphere has been a growing point of discussion, yet for all the multitude of factors behind the perceived quietness — such as ticket prices and kick-off times — there is palpable apprehension within the crowd. Supporters know Champions League revenue is essential to long-term plans. The enveloping mood and performances do not speak of a cohesive, confident team.
Emery’s Villa have always been built on an understated, subtle intelligence. They hang in matches, retaining a level of consistency that keeps them chugging along. This season, regardless of their fourth-place position, things have changed. There have been violent swings in form throughout, with Wednesday night — having led inside two minutes before unravelling — a microcosm of that.
Villa averaged 0.4 points per match in their opening five fixtures, which dramatically jumped to 2.76 points per game in the ensuing 13. In the next 11, they have dropped to just over a point per match.
If it was hoped Chelsea’s visit would stabilise an alarming tailspin, Villa only nosedived further.
Morgan Rogers and Aston Villa are looking over their shoulder as the teams below them close in (Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)
Emery’s expertise in crafting astute game plans, with his longest-standing players executing those instructions, has badly deserted him. Players look ragged and tactically confused.
Against Chelsea, Villa were caught in the middle. Sometimes they attempted to press, sometimes they did not, never synchronised. Often, however, they were played through and despite a lack of pressure on the ball, maintained a ridiculously high line, the type of which was prevalent and far more well-versed in the 2023-24 campaign.
“You asked me about conceding the fewest goals since the start of the year, yet we conceded four today,” said Emery after. “It means we did something wrong in our structure.
“I have to analyse the match because I’m not sure how we conceded four goals, but we can’t concede four goals like we did today.”
Emery’s previously crystal-clear strategy is opaque. Villa have never been the most active pressing team but they have invariably competed well: usually aggressive in midfield, rarely cut through on transition and can control the tempo of matches.
This was a chaotic display in comparison. Villa struggled to regain the ball high up the pitch, leaving space for Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro to run into. The home side’s high line encouraged Chelsea to continue to put passes in behind or out wide.
Villa kept four players forward from Chelsea corners, reflecting Emery’s wider strategy of keeping attackers in high areas to exploit Chelsea on transition. Emery had to weigh up the risk and reward; pushing his wide players up the pitch helped give Villa chances to break. Equally, though, it left their full-backs vulnerable.
Every meaningful Chelsea attack and goal stemmed from overloading wide areas or passes over the top.
Take Joao Pedro’s third goal: Emiliano Martinez was stranded against Garnacho and Joao Pedro as distant team-mates rushed back frantically. It was the clearest portrait of how Emery’s “structure”, a word he repeated several times afterwards, had crumbled. It all felt so unfamiliar and untypical.
Villa could point to Ollie Watkins’ disallowed goal on the stroke of half-time as a defining moment. Had Watkins not been offside, Villa would have regained the lead. What comes with renewed belief — greater impetus and cohesion — perhaps would have returned.
This is always an important ingredient but none more so than now. Supporters’ previous cast-iron belief in their team is feeling increasingly brittle; there are questions regarding Emery’s selection, with the starting line-up picked against Chelsea provoking a social media maelstrom. At one point, there were more comments than likes on a post announcing the starting XI. Admittedly, certain players look lightweight without the presence and force of the injured trio of Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans and John McGinn.
Eight of Villa’s starting XI were at the club in 2021. This has been viewed, fairly, as a blessing and a curse. In good form, the strong core is seen to help maintain high standards, knowing Emery’s methods to a meticulous depth. In bad form, there is a danger they are becoming stale.
Pressure intensifies on players such as Watkins, Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey. It is a worrying reflection on Watkins and Bailey that even after making telling contributions for Villa’s goal, they could not build on the fast start.
Emery is inclined to play his tried and trusted players through bad periods. Previously, supporters may have held faith in this school of thought, yet when form and performances have been declining so alarmingly, sticking with the status quo feels outdated.
Emery asserted afterwards that restoring confidence would transform issues surrounding Villa’s tactical structure, pointing to how past success has been through the collective, never the individual. But in acknowledging those doubts, he has realised the flat mood is at odds with how a team chasing a Champions League place should be feeling.