What is this, pre-season?
Premier League clubs playing friendlies in March isn’t something that we usually see but, with a three-week break between Gameweeks 31 and 32, some clubs are doing just that to keep fitness levels ticking over.
Aston Villa kicked off the kickabouts on Friday with a clash against La Liga outfit Elche.
The Villans had been in a warm-weather camp in Murcia over the last few days.
ASTON VILLA 1-2 ELCHE
- Goal: Pau
- Assist: Luiz
- Aston Villa XI: Bizot (Wright 76), García (McWilliams 76), Mings (Carroll 62), Pau (Mosquera 76), Maatsen (Burgess 86), Barkley (Koné 76), Douglas Luiz (Jenner 86), Sancho (Watkins 41), Buendía (Lynch 86), Elliott, Abraham (Madjo 62)
SANCHO INJURY CONCERN
The perils of contesting a meaningless mid-season match were illustrated when Jadon Sancho (£5.8m) came off prematurely in sunny Spain, having landed awkwardly on his shoulder.
Sancho looked in some pain when he was taken off shortly before half-time, his arm in a makeshift sling after lengthy treatment.
There were Villa hearts in mouths after the break when Emi Buendia (£5.3m) went down, again holding his shoulder. The Argentinean midfielder was able to continue, at least.
Unai Emery named a strong-ish side at the Pinatar Arena, despite the absence of 11 senior squad members on international duty. However, only three Gameweek 31 starters lined up from kick-off.
EXILED ELLIOTT IMPRESSES
As for the action, for what it’s worth, Villa began well.
Harvey Elliott (£5.1m), trapped in Premier League purgatory but free to play here, was the stand-out player, which makes his domestic exile look all the more preposterous.
Lively in the ’10’, he set up two half-decent early chances for Tammy Abraham (£6.0m), one saved, one sent narrowly wide. Elliott himself saw a goalbound shot blocked and then had another effort saved at the near post.
Ian Maatsen (£4.2m) failed to control when clean through and Pau Torres (£4.3m) was denied a tap-in by a last-ditch intervention before the latter gave Villa a deserved lead, nodding in Douglas Luiz‘s (£4.9m) corner.
Slack Villa defending allowed Elche to restore parity. Until that equaliser, which came just before half-time, Marco Bizot (£4.2m) hadn’t dirtied his gloves, with the Spanish outfit only having a handful of off-target or blocked efforts.
The stoppage for Sancho disrupted Villa, as did the raft of second-half changes. By the end of the game, it was Elliott, nine kids and Sancho’s replacement, Ollie Watkins (£8.5m), on the field. Elche’s stoppage-time headed winner wasn’t a total surprise, given that they were in the ascendancy against a hugely inexperienced XI.
A friendly simply to keep fitness levels ticking over, then, but a potentially costly one with Sancho’s injury.
