Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Aston Villa were defeated 2-1 by Bayern Munich in Hong Kong, but Unai Emery will take plenty of positives at the end of a pre-season tour in the Far East, an under-strength group showing promising signs.
This is very much a team in transition, with Morgan Rogers sold to Chelsea in a £117m deal, Lucas Digne too, bound for Paris Saint-Germain. Youri Tielemans now plays for Manchester United.
Any number of senior stars have been absent following the events of the World Cup, including injured captain John McGinn and Amadou Onana, who is unlikely to feature again in 2026 after injuring his right knee with Belgium.
amadou-onana-belgium
There have been concerns over the amount of change - and the lack of depth - at the heart of Emery's Villan system, but the gaffer will have been delighted to watch Joao Gomes' goalscoring performance, the summer signing showing that he is ready to play a big part this season.
Joao Gomes' performance vs Bayern Munich
Gomes joined Aston Villa from Wolves in a £38m deal earlier this summer, with Emery benefitting from Villa Park's neighbours' relegation from the Premier League.
angel-gomes-wolves
The tough-tackling Brazilian has built up a wealth of experience in the Premier League, thriving for a Wolves side who have undergone a regressive transformation over the past few years. He is a pitbull of a midfielder, and proved his worth in a combative performance against Bayern Munich on Friday, bagging a goal besides.
That said, it wasn't the strongest showing. Though Gomes, 25, scored, he struggled to contain an intense and insistent Bayern press, with most of his action coming in his team's defensive half.
Still, there's a lot to like, and Gomes' experience in the Premier League suggests he could yet grow into a superstar at Villa Park. However, he's got a long way to go before taking that mantle from one or two of his teammates, with one showing they could emerge as the new Tielemans.
Emery found his new Tielemans vs Bayern Munich
Gomes fills a hole in Aston Villa's midfield, but he's not yet proven himself ready to take on the role of centrepiece for Emery. However, another man stood up and reminded the Midlands side of his worth.
Indeed, Boubacar Kamara impressed on his return from injury, having last featured in the Premier League in January due to a knee injury. A duel-winning, tempo-setting machine, Kamara could step up now and become the linchpin in the middle for Emery, perhaps succeeding Tielemans in that.
He certainly staked his claim against Bayern Munich, providing a measured approach that could be the key to unlocking Gomes and creating a sense of fluency and balance in midfield over the coming year.
It says something that the Frenchman won more duels than his partner despite engaging in far fewer. He is an intelligent all-action midfielder, and his form and fitness could be doubly important over the coming year, now that Tielemans has indeed signed for the Red Devils.
||
Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich
Match Stats
Matches (starts)
Goals + Assists
Shots (on target)
Accurate passes
Chances created
Crosses
Possession lost
Succ. dribbles
Ball recoveries
Def. contributions
Duels won
Kamara showed against Bayern that his new midfield partner has a lot to learn before cementing himself as the mainstay in Emery's midfield. He won 88% of his duels and emanated control.
One of the most impressive elements of Kamara's playing style is that he knows not to overcomplicate things. He is controlled and cultured and creative in one, and like Tielemans before him, there is no one else quite like him under Emery's wing.
Tielemans has long been a first-class technician, but his defensive numbers improved steadily over his time at Villa. In the Premier League last year, he won 2.3 tackles and 5.2 duels per game on average.
Aston Villa's Boubacar Kamara in action with Chelsea's Moises Caicedo
Last season, Aston Villa's 71% win rate with Kamara in the side dropped down to 33% without him. His importance and influence in the centre, mopping up and redirecting play, cannot be understated, and Emery needs to nurse him back to full health over the next few weeks, allowing his new-look system to fire on all cylinders.
Garnacho