> **Villa lose to Crystal Palace and Dave Woodhall is waiting, for something.**
**One thing you can always be pretty sure about where Villa are concerned is that they don’t do things by halves. Even recently we’ve had three years of more or less constant improvement, taking us to heights and giving us moments we could only have dreamt of at the start but even then, when the team have been bad they’ve usually been diabolical.**
Sunday evening at seven o’clock, a kick-off time that’s diabolical to start with, was another dip, which coming at the end of a week of almost unremitting gloom is impressive in itself.
The day began with stories that Emiliano Martinez, formerly the best keeper in the world, is off to Old Trafford. More about that later. Then the central defensive cover we need was revealed to be Victor Lindelöf, a free agent last seen as a bit player in the long-running farce, the Manchester United defence.
He’s certainly experienced and as a fourth choice he’s probably the best we could get at this time, particularly given the financial constraints Villa are struggling with, but whatever the circumstances it doesn’t exactly scream ambition, or for that master transfer acumen.
The team is announced, and never has a line-up said so much, so quickly. The first word announced is _“Marco”_ and with that you knew the stories were true, Martinez is on his way and Villa are in trouble.
The rest of the team at least had a fresh feel, with Ian Maatsen, Donyell Malen and Evand Guessand all starting. In normal circumstances this would have been enough to create a buzz around the round. These were not normal circumstances, and the comparatively unknown make-up of the bench was an additional worry.
Any vague notes of optimism were stamped on after twenty minutes when Bizot brought down a Palace attacker for a penalty, a booking and a goal. The rest of the half went by much as expected after this, with Palace on top although Ollie Watkins did waste a good chance before half-time.
To their credit Villa did look improved after half-time with Emiliano Buendia, a half-time replacement for Guessand, trying to get something going and the rest of the team briefly threatening. However, the never doing things by halves concept came in again and another defensive error gave Palace what, to be fair, was a well-executed second. The team’s communal head dropped from that moment and the rest of the game was played out in the kind of funereal atmosphere that can often envelop Villa Park on days like this. The third goal was as predictable as it was badly-defended.
And so, where do we go from here? Jacob Ramsey leaving, the loan stars of last season not being replaced, Martinez virtually certain to be on his way and still struggling up against the sort of regulations designed to punish clubs who dare to show ambition. Monday is shaping up to be a watershed moment; perhaps the most important day since Villa avoided relegation in 2020 or further back, since Wes Eden and Nasif Sawiris arrived two years earlier.
They and Unai Emery are all winners and adversity is the time when such men show their mettle.
### _Related_