In what was initially viewed as a chance for Unai Emery and his entourage to experiment ahead of Aston Villa's back-to-back Premier League encounters against Manchester City and Liverpool, Thursday night turned out to be a bleak night to forget. And the Villa Park faithful have questioned two of Emery's decisions.
De Adelaarshorst played host to Villa's 2-1 defeat to Go Ahead Eagles: Evann Guessand opened the scoring within four minutes before Mathis Suray and Mats Deijl scored past Emiliano Martinez in the 42nd and 61st minute, respectively, to earn the Eredivisie side an unforeseen victory on home soil.
From Villa's perspective, they endured a tricky start to the campaign, but it recently looked as if they had turned a corner. Heading into Thursday's Europa League affair, they were on a six-match unbeaten streak – and the supporters have picked out two decisions made by Emery and Co which cost them the three points.
Watch the highlights from Villa's 2-1 loss to Go Ahead Eagles below:
Villa Fans Believe Emery Made Two Poor Decisions in Europa League Loss
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In an attempt to make it three from three in their 2025/26 Europa League campaign, Emery – widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football – gave the likes of Emiliano Buendia, Ian Maatsen, Victor Lindelof and Lamara Bogarde the chance to impress as they took the trip over to Overijssel, the Netherlands.
Plenty of big name players were rested as a result – and that was even the case after they made a quintet of substitutions in the second half. Matty Cash, Boubacar Kamara, Donyell Malen, Morgan Rogers and John McGinn were all introduced but Harvey Elliott was among those left on the bench.
"If Harvey Elliott can't get any minutes against Go Ahead Eagles, then it's totally pointless having him," one supporter wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in confusion over the Englishman's lack of minutes and what it means going forwards.
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On loan from reigning Premier League champions Liverpool, Elliott moved to Birmingham in the summer of 2025 in the hopes of getting more minutes under his belt. Since his arrival, he's been used sporadically by Emery and his entourage – and, at the time of writing, he's racked up just 174 minutes across all competitions.
That has raised concerns among the supporters. "Aston Villa making all five changes against Go Ahead Eagles and Harvey Elliott not being one of them is just sad to see," one fan said as a third wrote, "Harvey Elliott must be looking at the pitch thinking... 'At least I was getting minutes at Liverpool. What have I done wrong?'"
Villa and Liverpool reached an agreement on Elliott's move on an initial season-long loan, with a conditional obligation to make the transfer permanent next summer. That, however, depends on the playmaker making 10 appearances during the 2025/26 campaign.
Harvey Elliott – Club Career Statistics
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Elliott, a two-time Premier League winner, is no doubt a terrific player. His concoction of talent and expertise could prove valuable for Villa's pursuit of glory this term – and him featuring more often than not could help Emery towards that goal. That is the opinion of fans, as another wrote:
"The only good thing about today's defeat to Go Ahead Eagles, is that the manager now realises that Elliott has got to start games, because he hasn’t played anywhere near the games he should’ve done. Harvey Elliott is a quality player, but, strangely, Emery doesn’t rate him."
"Masters of our own downfall once again. Elliott not getting any minutes is criminal when you have [Evann] Guessand stinking up the place. I have a feel he will go back in January," a final supporter concluded. Another issue raised was the fact that Jadon Sancho, who is on loan from Manchester United until the end of 2025/26, was taken off in the 66th minute.
Jadon Sancho Aston Villa
More specifically, Sancho being hooked and Guessand – who failed to impress despite scoring their solitary goal – staying on has raised concerns in Emery's decision-making among the fanbase. One wrote, "Taking Sancho off and leaving Guessand on is absolutely CRIMINAL. Sancho was our best player on that pitch!!!"
"I just don’t get why he’s taken Sancho off and not Guessand who has been awful. Sancho has been the one who has looked like he could create something," another said. Despite being poor for a large chunk of his spell at Old Trafford, London-born Sancho showed flashes of his brilliance against Go Ahead Eagles. And, like Elliott, him being used more often by Emery would add a different dimension to their attack.
All statistics per Transfermarkt – correct as of 23/10/2025