Marseille, Tyrone Mings, Villa
(Credit: Imago)
Evan Lloyd
Sat 9 August 2025 20:20, UK
Aston Villa lost to Marseille in their penultimate pre-season friendly at the Orange Velodrome on Saturday.
The Villans were behind after just five minutes after Mason Greenwood found space behind the backline, taking the ball around Marco Bizot before slotting into an empty net.
Villa would be level just three minutes later, when John McGinn coolly chipped the ball over Geronimo Rulli, but Marseille would regain their lead in the second half through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
And the former Arsenal striker would score again in the 79th minute, to end what had become a fiery affair.
Aston Villa Tyrone Mings
Mings struggled against Marseille (Credit: Imago)
Tyrone Mings struggles vs Marseille
Tyrone Mings is not expected to be among Unai Emery’s top choices in the centre of defence next season, and the 32-year-old showed why against Marseille.
The defender looked to be off the pace from the get-go, allowing Greenwood to slip past him before the winger opened the scoring for the home side.
Mings did improve as the game progressed, but often struggled against the French side’s pacey attackers whilst in the face of an intense press.
MORE VILLA STORIES
The former England international spent much of last season on the injury table, still recovering from an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament suffered in the season before.
And he will likely spent much this season on the bench, offering an experienced head for Villa’s younger defenders.
John McGinn
McGinn was impressive against Marseille (Credit: Imago)
John McGinn proves importance
Villa rejected an opening bid from Everton for club captain McGinn on Thursday, reportedly worth £18million.
The Villans consider the Scot not for sale, and have since opened negotiations in an attempt to convince the 30-year-old to sign a new contract at Villa Park.
McGinn showed exactly why Emery is so eager to keep him around against Marseille, covering massive amounts of ground and showing quality when on the ball.
His goal was expertly took, but it also required a superb run through the middle that would normally be expected of a striker.
McGinn spent much of last season on the right of midfield, but is expected to be brought back into the centre this season.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Marseille
Marco Bizot – 5
Matty Cash – 5
Lamare Bogarde – 4
Tyrone Mings – 3
Lucas Digne – 4
Amadou Onana – 5
George Hemmings – 5
Donyell Malen – 5
John McGinn – 8
Jacob Ramsey – 7
Samuel Iling-Junior – 4
Substitutes
Emi Buendia – 5
Evann Guessand – 5
Alex Moreno – 4
Ezri Konsa – 5
Boubacar Kamara – 5
Youri Tielemans – 5
Bradley Burrows – 5
Sign up for the Villa News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Aston Villa news sent straight to your phone.
Related Posts