Monday analysis: Battling Preston draw more evidence Aston Villa have lost their fizz

More than 5,600 visiting supporters packed out Deepdale’s Bill Shankly Kop, confident of watching their heroes sign off 2018 with victory against the lowest-ranked outfit they had faced for nearly two months.

Instead, they witnessed a Preston outfit depleted by injuries proceed to give Dean Smith’s men one of their toughest tests of the season to date.

Were it not for a miss-of-the-decade contender from Birkir Bjarnason, Villa would likely have escaped south with three precious points in the battle for promotion.

But that wouldn’t have been fair on the Lilywhites, who twice hit the woodwork through Jordan Storey and Tom Barkhuizen and were menacing throughout. Neither would it have disguised the fact Villa currently look a team who have lost their fizz.

The enthralling, attacking football which lit up late November and early December was again largely absent, on an afternoon when the visitors were for long periods forced to simply tough it out.

Those looking for comfort can point to the fact Villa have emerged from an arduous set of fixtures still well within striking distance of the play-off positions. That is despite Derby’s late, late turnaround at Norwich ensuring a gap to the top six which for much of Saturday looked like being reduced to two points was actually increased to five.

The concern is that not even the arrival of January and a transfer window likely to deliver timely reinforcements can solve the biggest headache for Smith at present. Namely, how best to combat the considerable Jack Grealish-shaped hole in the middle of his team?

As each game passes without the playmaker in the line-up, so his importance becomes ever clearer.

True, Villa still possess more than their share of match-winners.

They do not, however, have a direct replacement for Grealish, a player who through his very presence can create space for others and was so often the glue with which Smith’s artwork would hold together.

Conor Hourihane has played, manfully, the role of understudy. But Grealish’s act is not one easily copied, while the need to push the Republic of Ireland international further forward has hindered his own emergence as a defensive midfielder of some promise.

Only in the closing stages on Saturday, with Hourihane restored to a deeper position following Bjarnason’s arrival from the bench, did Villa begin to move again with purpose.

Until then, they had attacked in the way they mostly have done since Grealish limped off at The Hawthorns back on December 7. A unit which terrorised Derby, Boro and the Baggies is now a little more methodical, a little more predictable and a lot less fearsome.

Just as well, then, that it still contains Tammy Abraham, who notched his 14th goal of the season from the only chance which came his way in the 90 minutes.

Either side of him, wingers Anwar El Ghazi and Yannick Bolasie were, not for the first time in recent weeks, something of a disappointment, the latter in particular.

Smith may now recall both Albert Adomah and Jonathan Kodjia to the line-up for tomorrow’s home game with QPR to freshen things up on the flanks. In truth, it was a little surprising neither of those changes came on Saturday.

There is also a strong chance Villa’s defence will feature the newly-recalled Tommy Elphick. At the very least, the former skipper will add a physical presence and perhaps some authority to a backline which all season has been susceptible to the long ball.

On Saturday, thanks chiefly to the precision of Paul Gallagher and the excellent Daniel Johnson, Preston exploited this weakness better than any other opponent to date.

Time and again, Villa’s central defensive pairing of James Chester and James Bree found themselves racing back towards goal, desperately trying to outpace the likes of Barkhuizen, Graham Burke and Lukas Nmecha.

When Preston’s goal did eventually arrive, just past the hour mark, it did so via a Villa boot, the unlucky Ahmed Elmohamady getting the final touch on Johnson’s low cross.

On more than one occasion, however, the visitors were thankful for the home side’s poor finishing, Storey smashing the ball off the bar at close range barely 90 seconds in after Orjan Nyland had spilled a corner.

Ultimately, a draw was the most Villa deserved. Another point, at least, for the tally, while extending a run of just one defeat in nine matches.

By the same token, it is now only one win in the last five, not exactly the kind of form which is going to give the likes of Norwich or Leeds sleepless nights, or propel Villa into the top six anytime soon.

Tomorrow’s game with the R’s is now a big one, offering the chance to leapfrog at least one rival ahead of a break for the FA Cup and bringing Villa one step closer to Grealish’s return.

When precisely that will be remains unclear, though it won’t be until the trip to Wigan on January 12 at the earliest.

Saturday’s game completed a year which must rank among the most extraordinary in Villa’s history, one where they dallied with disaster during a summer of financial uncertainty.

Off the field, thankfully, the arrival of Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens has brought greater stability and genuine reason for optimism, if some lingering issues remain.

On the pitch, Villa have finished 2018 as they began it, playing catch-up in the promotion race. Justifiably hopeful, but with plenty of hard work still to do.