What Unai Emery did to Ian Maatsen as Aston Villa risk pays off before PSG

BirminghamLive brings you the talking points from Aston Villa's victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League

👉 Click Here to read in detail 👈

Aston Villa boosted their hopes of a top five finish in the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday night.

The gap to third-placed Forest has now been cut to six points, with seven games remaining in the league campaign.

Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen gave Villa the perfect start, as Unai Emery’s side raced into a 2-0 lead within the first 15 minutes.

Substitute Jota Silva halved the deficit before the hour mark, finding space in the box, turning sharply, and firing into the far corner via a deflection.

Murillo struck the bar in the first minute of added time, but Villa held on to secure their seventh successive win in all competitions.

Emery's rotation risk pays off

Emery has become the first Villa manager since Ron Saunders to oversee two separate runs of 15 unbeaten top-flight home games.

The Villa boss made eight changes to the side that started against Brighton, including an entirely new backline and resting the influential Boubacar Kamara.

Like many, I was surprised by the number of changes Emery made, despite the looming Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Further rotation is expected for next weekend’s match against Southampton, but as with Forest, Villa won’t be naming a ‘weak team’. Emery simply can’t - his squad is that deep and littered with top talent.

In Kamara’s place, £50m summer signing Amadou Onana started, while £37.5m arrival Ian Maatsen replaced Lucas Digne.

Tyrone Mings and Axel Disasi came in for Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres, while Marco Asensio, Malen, and Ollie Watkins returned to the attack.

According to UEFA’s Finance and Investment Landscape, Villa’s squad ranks as the 11th most expensive in Europe, valued at £498m.

The Premier League is home to the four most expensive squads, and at least nine of the top 20 overall. In fact, West Ham United’s squad cost more than Barcelona’s or AC Milan’s.

But spending big is one thing - building a team capable of competing on multiple fronts deep into the season is another.

Villa are the only club still alive in both the Champions League and FA Cup, while also fighting for a top five Premier League finish.

"Good to win today but there's still work to do,” Emery said after full-time. “We have got all nine points from the past three matches and it's very important that we are reducing the distance to the team in front.

“It's still very difficult to achieve as our objective is to get Europe again through the Premier League. We enjoy competing in the Champions League and the FA Cup, but the Premier League is the most important because it is through the league that we can reach our objective for the next season.

"The players are focused in every match - be it FA Cup, Champions League or Premier League. We have to manage the players intelligently to get the best out of them. Sometimes they might not start and sometimes we can get an impact from them as substitutes. This is most important - to see how we can be stronger as a team in each match.

"We played fantastic in the first half hour. We dominated and had the chances. In the second half, we tried to keep possession and we still had chances to score. But they scored once but we have to try to be demanding on how we want to dominate and impose our stature tactically."

Rogers' telling influence continues

Seven of Rogers' eight Premier League goals this season have either put Villa ahead (4) or brought them level (3).

Across all competitions, the England international has contributed 24 goals in 44 appearances - a seriously impressive return.

Over the past 12 months, he has truly come of age. So much so that his strong performances can sometimes feel like an afterthought in a Villa victory. Beating defenders for fun, driving the team forward, and scoring goals have become expected of him.

“We knew it was a big game,” Rogers said on Sky Sports. “[Nottingham Forest] are doing really well in the league and they are a difficult team to play. We knew we had to start fast and we knew it was a must win if we want to get where we wanted to get in the Premier League.

“We were outstanding and deservedly got in front. We knew they would come back into it. They have got that quality but withstanding that pressure is massive for us."

Speaking about the depth in the squad, Rogers said: "That's what football is all about. The January signings have proved massive for us. We knew it was going to be important if we want to compete in the second half of the season in the three competitions.

“We have made changes but we all know our jobs. We were fully focused and the players who have come in have been outstanding. It was a good performance all around.”

Maatsen enjoys excellent night

Maatsen made his fifth Premier League start of the season on Saturday and recorded his second assist, setting up fellow Dutchman Donyell Malen to double Villa's lead.

The left-back was outstanding in the first half against Forest, frequently surging forward to support attacks and linking up superbly with Rogers down the left flank. It was arguably his best performance in claret and blue so far.

In the 14th minute, with both Maatsen and Rogers drifting infield to support Youri Tielemans, Emery dashed to the edge of his technical area—pointing and shouting at his full-back to make a run down the channel.

Maatsen obliged, received the ball from Tielemans, turned Ryan Yates inside out, and delivered a pinpoint cross to find Malen at the back post.

It's been a slow start to life at Villa for Maatsen, but in recent weeks he's shown increased composure and discipline defensively—addressing the one major question mark over his ability to perform at the highest level.

Villa have momentum in the race for top five

Villa have now won seven consecutive games in all competitions—their longest winning streak since a 10-game run between March and April 2019 during their time in the Championship. Remarkably, it's their first seven-game winning run as a top-flight side since March 1981.

They’ve collected nine points from their last three Premier League fixtures, and heading into next weekend’s clash with Southampton, Villa will be aiming to make it a perfect 12 from 12.

After that, only six league matches will remain in the campaign.

The following weekend, when Villa host Newcastle, they could either be in a position to leapfrog Eddie Howe’s side—or, even better, to extend their lead over the Toon.

Should Villa defeat Southampton, they'll only have the opportunity to overtake Newcastle if the Magpies pick up no more than six points from their next three matches against Leicester City, Manchester United, and Crystal Palace.

Attention turns to PSG

Villa will now turn their attention to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Both legs will be played either side of the trip to St. Mary’s, with a trip to the Parc des Princes coming on Wednesday.

"For the club, for the players and for me as a coach, it's a huge challenge,” Emery said. “We are very excited and motivated. They are favourites but we are going to try to prepare as best as possible to compete against a very good team, very good players and a very good coach. We will try to enjoy the first leg in Paris and the second leg here."

Rogers added: "It's going to be a massive game. It's surreal to be in that game. We will go there with confidence because we are playing well at the moment.

“They are one the best teams in the world, there is no denying that. We are in the quarter-finals for a reason. We will go there and try to win the game as always and see where it takes us. Looking forward to it."

Claret & Blue verdictWhat did you make of Villa's performance? Tell us here

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

Aston Villa 150th Anniversary

Get your hands on AVFC 150 years merchandise

Aston Villa is marking its 150th anniversary with the launch of a new merch collection including shirts, hoodies, books, mugs and scarves.

Top items include the Anniversary Shirt, Anniversary Hoodie and Anniversary Polo Shirt, plus the 150 Years picture books Volume One and Volume Two.

from £8

Aston Villa Store

Shop the collection here

👉 Click Here to read in detail 👈

Miatamil

Listed here the latest Trending News