Analysis: Only way is up after Aston Villa fall flat in opener

When Cucho Hernandez curled home brilliantly to put Watford three goals ahead midway through the second half at Vicarage Road, Dean Smith’s men appeared on course for the kind of humiliating result they hoped was a thing of the past. By full-time goals from John McGinn and Danny Ings had restored pride, if not parity, meaning Villa actually returned to the Midlands with a few positives.

Yet there could be no escaping the fact it had generally been a hugely disappointing, if not slightly embarrassing afternoon, for a team who had spent the week claiming they were ready to silence the doubters and step out of the considerable shadow cast by the departed Jack Grealish.

On Saturday’s evidence, the question of just how Villa are going to cope without their former talisman is going to linger for a good while longer. Smith’s new-look team did not so much miss their cue as fail to find the stage entirely.

The first-half performance was particularly dire and earned Villa’s players a tongue-lashing from their boss at the break. Despite an improvement in the second period, Smith’s anger level was still set on simmering when he addressed the press post-match.

There were, had he chosen to use them, a number of mitigating factors: Villa were without last season’s top scorer Ollie Watkins, the man who sets the tempo for their forward press, due to a bruised knee. A disrupted pre-season perhaps partially explained the lack of sharpness and understanding in a revamped attack. Going away to a newly-promoted team on opening day is never easy, particularly when they are welcoming back supporters for the first time in 18 months. Villa's record at Vicarage Road, a venue where they have won only once in their history, is pretty unspectacular.

And yet this current line-up has been assembled at considerable cost. The XI which started on Saturday were recruited for fees totalling close to £200million. They should and must be capable of far better.

Instead, it was a pair of Watford debutants who grasped the chance to announce themselves. Emmanuel Dennis, a summer signing from Club Brugge, fired home the opener in the 10th minute while Hernandez, who actually signed for the Hornets in 2017 but has spent the past four seasons out on loan, could barely have made a more spectacular introduction, netting a goal of the month contender with his first involvement off the bench.

In between, Ismaila Sarr netted the home side’s second, having picked up where he left off from Villa’s last visit to Hertfordshire in December 2019 by tormenting Matt Targett. The left-back played all but 20 minutes of last season on route to being named players’ player of the year. Here he was hauled off at half-time having failed to win any duels with the classy winger.

On the other side of defence, Matty Cash was similarly out-of-sorts, losing possession an eye-watering 25 times. A backline which kept 15 clean sheets last season looked vulnerable throughout. The base elements of grit and determination, which so often helped Villa finish on the right side of the result last season, were sorely lacking.

Of the new signings it was the man with the biggest price tag, Emi Buendia, who endured the most difficult day. By the second half there was certainly a sense the Argentine playmaker was trying a little too hard to make things happen. More than once he ran into trouble while attempting to create the spectacular when taking the simpler option would at least have seen Villa keep possession.

What positives there were generally came from the bench. Leon Bailey, another big money arrival, looked impressively bright for a player who only reported to Bodymoor Heath on Thursday. The Jamaica international posed questions for the hosts down the left flank and provided the cross from which McGinn reduced the deficit with 20 minutes remaining.

Bertrand Traore, another substitute, then won the penalty from which Ings converted to give Villa a glimmer of hope seven minutes into stoppage time.

With the money spent on remoulding Villa’s attack this summer, it might be easy to overlook Traore, particularly after a pre-season in which his involvement was limited due to groin surgery. But the Burkina Faso international’s seven goals in his first full Premier League season was a none-too-shabby return and this cameo provided encouragement he is ready to kick on again.

Finding the most effective way to assemble his attacking pieces, while also maintaining a defensive balance, is Smith’s primary task and Saturday’s false start suggested the head coach has more work to do than perhaps first realised. When everyone is fit and firing, Villa are likely to look a very different unit.

Reading too much into opening day performances and results, good or bad, can be dangerous. On the other hand, the season moves quickly and there is just a little more pressure on Villa to perform when they host Newcastle next weekend.

After an opening day which fell well short of expectations, things can surely only get better.