Villa 2 City 1
Post Match Analysis by Colin Hall
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation.
Leicester City’s hopes of a positive start to 2025 were dashed by a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa.
The result, as with others in recent weeks, owed more to individual mistakes at both ends of the pitch than to the opposition showing more quality on the day.
While Ruud van Nistelrooy has tried wherever possible to keep a settled defence, the latest setback must surely cause him to reconsider his options.
James Justin – a full-back capable of playing at a far higher standard than he has shown too often during the current campaign – needs to be taken out of the firing line, for the sake of his own well-being as much as for the interests of the team.
Opponents are targeting him as a potential weak link – and more often than not, they are being proved right, as was shown during the key moment of this game.
With 12 minutes remaining, Justin dwelt a little too long on the ball in his own penalty area. In a moment of panic, he attempted a pass to wide man Jordan Ayew which was easily intercepted and allowed the home side to net the winner from the resulting cross.
Yet his decline in form is a symptom, rather than (as many believe) a cause of the current malaise affecting the club.
A succession of recent managers, including the current incumbent, have preached that possession is the be-all and end-all of the game. This can lead to defenders looking for risky passes rather than follow their natural instincts to clear the ball upfield.
Such are the lessons currently being taught at the club’s self-styled “world-leading” training complex. Is it any wonder that the defence, which has now conceded two goals or more in FIFTEEN league games to date this season, is looking so weak?
Even so, City, throughout the first half of a game which did little to enhance the league’s claim as the “best in the world”, had defended with rigour and discipline, restricting the hosts to one meaningful effort on goal – a Cash long-range drive turned away comfortably by Jakub Stolarczyk.
The visitors showed more endeavour in attack after the break and should have taken the lead when Bilal El-Khannouss set up Stephy Mavididi inside the box, only for the winger to blaze wide.
A City goal at that stage would have changed the whole dynamics of the game. Instead, though, it was Villa who made the breakthrough, as Jannik Vestergaard inexplicably headed a cross from former Fox Tielemans into the path of Barkley, who eagerly converted the opportunity to add to his portfolio of goals against City.
However, the visitors were able to recover quickly from this self-inflicted blow, finding an equaliser within five minutes. Ayew, seizing a stray ball in midfield, produced an excellent run and cross for Jamie Vardy (previously and subsequently anonymous all afternoon) to meet. Although the captain’s effort was blocked by Martinez, Mavididi was on hand to net the rebound.
A team in better form and with greater confidence might well have gone on to seize the initiative at this point, but City, understandably, were unable to do this against a team unbeaten in the league on their own turf since August. Instead, they seemed content to let the game meander towards a stalemate, until those hopes were scuppered by another defensive aberration.
Although the City boss made a flurry of late substitutions in an effort to find another leveller, Villa were able to see out the closing stages in relative comfort, and could even have added to the scoreline when hitting the visitors on the break.
Despite the disappointing nature of this defeat, City are still well in touch with teams above them. The squad must ignore the negativity of sections of the online fanbase who proclaim – quite wrongly – that relegation is already a foregone conclusion,
As Ipswich, West Ham and Wolves all reminded us over the course of the weekend, defensive ineptitude is not an issue confined to ourselves, while Everton’s goal shortage keeps them firmly embroiled in the relegation dogfight
However, the City hierarchy need to bring in reinforcements as a matter of urgency, ideally before the crucial trio of home games that loom later this month.
And they should spare no expense in doing so.
Two years ago, another East Midlands club showed absolute contempt for the league’s “profit and sustainability” rules when seeking to dodge the drop.
As the current league table shows, it hasn’t exactly been made to regret that course of action.
Villa (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne (Maatsen 76); Barkley (Buendia 76), Kamara ,Tielemans; Bailey, Watkins, McGinn (Ramsey 19). Subs not used: Olsen, Bogarde, Nedeljkovic, Jimoh-Alaba, Onana, Swinkels.
Goals: Barkley (58), Bailey (78)
Leicester (4-2-3-1): Stolarczyk; Justin, Coady (Okoli 82), Vestergaard (Faes 62), Thomas (DeCordova-Reid 90); Winks, Soumaré; Ayew (Buonanotte 83), El-Khannouss (Daka 82); Mavididi; Vardy. Subs not used: Iversen, Choudhury, Skipp, Alves.
Goal: Mavididi (63) Booking: Soumaré
Referee: Jarred Gillett VAR: Peter Bankes Attendance: 42 386