BirminghamLive brings you the talking points from Aston Villa's 2-2 draw with Nashville SC
Aston Villa players celebrate scoring
Aston Villa players celebrate scoring
Aston Villa wrapped up their tour of the USA by drawing 2-2 with Nashville SC at Geodis Park in Tennessee on Saturday night.
Unai Emery’s side threw away a two-goal lead in the last 15 minutes, but results hold no weight in the summer, and the Villa manager was pleased with what he saw from his players for the majority of the friendly.
Ollie Watkins headed Villa in front in the 18th minute, before Donyell Malen doubled the lead just after the hour mark with a well-taken goal of his own.
Matt Corcoran halved the hosts’ deficit in the 75th minute and Sam Surridge then beat Joe Gauci in a one-on-one after Ezri Konsa was dispossessed - and possibly fouled.
Here are the talking points from Villa's draw...
Martinez coaching from the back
They were soft goals to concede from Villa’s point of view - and avoidable, too. But with much rotation at half-time, the two most important aspects of these games are getting minutes in the legs and practicing tactical plans.
Emery elected to make eight changes at half-time, with only Lamare Bogarde, Leon Bailey, and Emi Martinez staying on the pitch.
It struck me that Martinez was quite animated throughout the match and was often urging his defenders to play with more urgency.
He took issue with a number of passes made out from the back and also gathered a few of the attackers at half-time to have a word, gesturing with his hands too. It was good to see him trying to coach what Emery wants from his players.
The goalkeeper took the captain’s armband for the first half and led the team out in front of a group of Argentinians who had travelled to the game to get a glimpse of their World Cup hero.
Martinez always has a band of supporters following him in the States, like when I saw a number of South Americans chase the Villa bus into the formerly named Exploria Stadium out in Orlando a couple of years ago.
He handed the armband back to John McGinn for the start of the second period before being replaced by Gauci on the hour mark.
It was essentially a clean sheet for Martinez, who made a terrific save to deny Teal Bunbury just after Watkins put Villa in front.
Getting down quickly, Martinez tipped the ball wide of the far post after Bunbury made space in the box under pressure from Bogarde and fired at goal.
After the game, Martinez posted on X for the first time since early June, with a collage of four pictures from the game, including the caption “Nashville” with love heart and praising emojis.
Another strong workout in the States
Playing teams in the MLS always provides a useful test because they are halfway through their league season.
They present a challenge which European sides cannot - like Frankfurt, who tested Villa in different ways last weekend.
A more technical and tactical battle, the Frankfurt game had a good tempo to it, but ultimately it died down before Eba Is beat Gauci from range to draw level at 2-2.
Despite Emery freshening his team up at half-time against St. Louis and Nashville, it still shouldn’t be a surprise that those sides ended the game stronger than Villa.
Preparations for the new campaign will intensify once again in the coming days, with AS Roma and two games against Marseille and Villarreal coming next weekend, before Newcastle United head to Villa Park on Saturday, August 16.
“Nashville played well and I know they are performing fantastic in their league here in the MLS,” said Emery in his post-match press conference.
“We faced them, respecting them, and even when we were 2-0 they were able to claim back a result. They drew and, of course, they showed their capacity.
“Last year we played against Columbus Crew, this year we played against St. Louis City, here (against Nashville) and all matches we play against MLS teams - sometimes we are winning, sometimes losing and sometimes drawing. The level they have is a very good level.”
Ollie Watkins
Ollie Watkins(Image: Connor Cunningham)
Watkins is in the mood
A major positive from the tour is Watkins’ start to the summer. He’s in the mood.
Last summer, Watkins struggled with injury after Euro 2024 and essentially missed pre-season under Emery.
He started the campaign slowly, wasn’t 100 per cent fit, and Villa relied on Jhon Duran to bail them out of a few games as he came off the bench to make a stunning impact in several matches.
This time round, Watkins looks sharp as a tack and hungry for a big campaign ahead of the World Cup. Doing his best to not only get on the plane but play a big part in England’s tournament will be one of a few motivations for Watkins next season.
After bagging his 75th Premier League goal in Villa’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth last season, he is also trying to net 25 more as quickly as possible to become a member of the 100 club.
His highest goal return in a top-flight season came in 2023/24, when he found the net 19 times and also won the Playmaker of the Season by recording 13 assists.
Guaranteed goals - and much more - Watkins is a player Villa simply have to keep hold of this summer. For the money another team would be willing to pay for him, Villa would be unable to recruit a better forward next season.
The thought of considering a sale for Watkins is madness in itself, and Villa have reiterated their stance that he is not for sale this summer.
Donyell Malen
Donyell Malen(Image: Connor Cunningham)
Malen will help fixing goalscoring problem
Like Watkins, Malen is also looking in fine form with now less than two weeks remaining until the start of the new season.
Malen, who joined from Borussia Dortmund for £20m back in January, has a point to prove to Emery after he left him out of the Champions League squad, while he only received a couple of league starts last term too.
But we know that it takes a period of time for most players to earn the trust of Emery, who is a meticulous tactical planner.
With three assists and one goal in the 150 minutes he has played this pre-season, Malen is proving why he deserves to be starting games.
Last season, only Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers, and Youri Tielemans registered at least 10 goal involvements, which was a drop-off of two from the campaign before that.
Leon Bailey’s poor season took away a chunk of goals, and that must be replaced next season as Villa need more from their wingers, and goals must be shared around the team.
More firepower is needed this month, but at least Malen is demonstrating the quality Villa will need to put the ball in the back of the net on a consistent basis.