Aston Villa look “desperate for international break” – focus ‘dropped’ before Liverpool

Aston Villa have the potential to cause Liverpool problems this weekend, but a thrashing at Tottenham exposed certain flaws.

The Reds host Unai Emery’s side in the Premier League on Saturday night, with victory for Arne Slot‘s men again feeling big in the title race.

Villa are a dangerous, hard-to-beat outfit and Liverpool will need to produce a strong performance to pick up a win.

Emery’s team were thumped 4-1 at Spurs last weekend Sunday, however, and lost 1-0 away to Club Brugge in midweek.

Ahead of the match, This Is Anfield’s Henry Jackson spoke to Villa fan Tom Fahy (@tomfahy93) to preview a big game for both sides.

How happy are you with Villa’s season to date?

It’s very hard to be disappointed when you sit joint-fourth in the Premier League and in the top eight of your first Champions League campaign in 40 years.

But there is a sense that it could be so much more.

Disappointing draws with Bournemouth, Man United and Ipswich stick in the craw a little.

Rotating heavily and losing against Palace in the cup has angered more people than the club would expect.

Even with the recent run of form, it is hard to separate that from the context of where we have been previously, and it’s still a golden era for the club.

Has Champions League football made things harder?

I would posit that the Champions League has not made things harder but has diverted focus.

There is a sense that when this Villa side drops its focus or intensity by five percent we really struggle and you can see in the Games preceding the European matches that the players’ minds may be elsewhere.

The main issue that the Champions League has created is the feeling of unrest and frustration towards the club for the pricing structure.

The atmosphere has suffered as a consequence of this and has lead to a slight feeling of division between the faNBAse.

Who has been Villa’s best player? Has anyone struggled?

Youri Tielemans has been by some distance the player of the season this far.

Youri gives you everything you want from a modern midfielder – he’s your prototypical ‘do everything’ midfielder.

Whether it is keeping the ball in tight spaces or doggedly winning it back, he has been dropping Man of the Match performances each week.

Leon Bailey is at the other end of the spectrum.

It’s hard to tell whether Leon is 100 percent fit or just struggling for form. The basics of football have escaped him in the last few weeks.

Bailey has been poor but not for the want of trying. The effort is there but the ball just is not sticking for him.

What are your thoughts on Arne Slot?

The way he’s slotted in has been unbelievable.

Slot seems stern yet affable and ultimately knows his own my mind, which is the greatest compliment you can give a manager.

The way he has dealt with the contract speculation around the three big-hitters has been almost perfect, even having the self-assurance to sub Trent to protect his body.

How do you assess Liverpool’s title chances?

No club rides momentum like Liverpool and at the moment you look perfectly placed to ride the wave of optimism to the top of the table come May.

From an outsider’s perspective, the more measured football feels more sustainable than Jurgen Klopp‘s chaotic helter-skelter football.

Liverpool will be involved in a lot less classic matches this season, but that will most likely be for the best.

Do you rate Anfield as a matchday experience?

Atmospheres around the country are struggling, as the average local fan is being priced out of experience their team each week.

Anfield, much like Villa Park, is a ground that gets up for it when required.

I have always scoffed at the ‘where’s your famous atmosphere’ chant – of course a fanbase that has seen every possible trophy be lifted in every kind of manner is not 100 percent at it for a Saturday 3pm against Crystal Palace.

Giving the crowd no reason to light the touch paper is the main thing we need to avoid on Saturday.

Looking ahead to Saturday, where will the key battles take place?

The key to the game is to make someone other than Mo Salah beat us.

Ollie Watkins shutting that long, raked pass from Virgil van Dijk to Salah feels like the first line of defence.

Curtis Jones vs. Tielemans will be key, too.

Jones is in the form of his life and is playing with the sort of assurance he played with for the U21s.

What’s your score prediction?

I go into this game with less hope than I usually would.

In the past, Anfield has given us some off our greatest away days, but I can’t see us coming away from this unharmed.

The general malaise in our performances leave us looking like a team that is desperate for the international break so we can collect and regroup.

I can’t see anything other than a loss and my gut says 3-0 to Liverpool, but you can never discount Unai Emery when it comes to a one-off game plan against superior opposition.