The hosts took the lead early on but within minutes Villa were level through a lovely chipped finish from John McGinn over the goalkeeper after being played in by Jacob Ramsey.
_**READ MORE: [Touted contract offer for key Villa figure amid ongoing exit speculation](https://talk-villa.com/aston-villa-jacob-ramsey-new-contract-offer-touted-exit-talk/)**_
After a decent first-half encounter, things spiralled after the break as the home side opted to make a number of late challenges and that in turn raised tempers and tensions as there were several clashes between the players which broke up play and disrupted our rhythm.
A double from substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saw Marseille seal the win, but for Villa it was a decent run-out in a hostile environment, and hopefully it’s another learning experience for the players ahead of our European campaign this season.
### Tempers flare in heated clash between two sides
While there was a good tempo and intensity to the game in the opening 45 minutes, things spiralled in the second half as late challenges began to fly in and the referee began to dish out yellow cards.
Players on either side clashed on multiple occasions too, most notably Tyrone Mings dragging Mason Greenwood around after a petulant late foul on Amadou Onana, while things got heated on the touchline too between Unai Emery and Roberto De Zerbi.
Importantly though, Villa must take the learnings away from the experience, as we could face a similar level of hostility and competitiveness in the Europa League this season against sides like Lille, Lyon, Porto and Roma. Hopefully we made it through unscathed without any injuries, but it will potentially prove to be a useful encounter.
### Defensively still need to see improvements
Whether it was Mings making a mistake for the opener or Villa being exploited in wide areas again and leaving Aubameyang unmarked in the box, there were obvious errors defensively in this game that we need to cut out from next weekend onwards.
Having conceded 51 goals in our 38 Premier League games last season, giving us the third-worst defensive record of the top 10 clubs, it’s an area that we must improve in and tighten things up if we’re to compete at the top level.
Given this was just a pre-season friendly, it’s good to see those weaknesses exploited now rather than against Newcastle next Saturday, but Emery, his coaching staff and the players need to ensure that they address it and find fixes for the year ahead.
### Hemmings emerges as stand-out young talent
Every summer, it’s always a boost to see our youth players get a chance to impress, and what is particularly intriguing is to see who could potentially make the step up and impress in front of Emery.
This year, it’s been George Hemmings who has arguably been the pick of the bunch, and the 18-year-old put in another impressive display this weekend as he looked comfortable, composed and at home in our midfield despite the experience and quality around him.
Having signed a long-term deal in May, we’ve hopefully got a top prospect on our hands in the midfield starlet, and although he’ll perhaps have to hope at best to get on the bench for some first-team games this season, he’s potentially got a bright future ahead of him in a Villa shirt if he continues to improve and develop.
### Ramsey adding a consistent decisive touch
We’ve praised the likes of Ollie Watkins and Donyell Malen this summer for looking sharp heading into the new campaign, and the same can be said for Ramsey who added another goal contribution to his work this summer with the assist for McGinn’s goal on Saturday evening.
[Speculation remains over his future at the club](https://talk-villa.com/aston-villa-jacob-ramsey-new-contract-offer-touted-exit-talk/), but, as is hoped will be the case, if he stays beyond this summer and possibly even signs a new deal, we’re going to need to see more decisive impacts from the 24-year-old to solidify his place in our squad and in Emery’s plans.
Fresh from his goal against Roma in midweek, he played a perfectly weighted through ball to McGinn who drew us level, and along with his energy, defensive work ethic, positional awareness and tactical intelligence, Ramsey must stay fit and continue to make a decisive impact in the final third.
### Guessand makes first appearance after joining
There was a debut for Evann Guessand after his arrival during the week, and although the fiery nature of the game hindered his ability to make an impact, it’s fundamental to his adaptation that he gets minutes to settle in and integrate.
It was clear that the Ivorian international wanted to make a positive impression as he picked up a booking just minutes after coming on for an over-zealous challenge, albeit he did actually win the ball, and he showed good work ethic and desire in the second half in his bid to get up to speed with his new teammates.
With Morgan Rogers picking up an ankle injury in midweek, it remains to be seen if he’ll be fit enough to start against Newcastle given he’s likely to be absent for both of our games this weekend, and so that could open the door for Guessand to get a more prominent role in our season opener and hopefully waste little time in making his presence felt.
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