da leao： In the end, the final score-line seemed to paint a completely different story to what actually happened on Sunday. A wretched display saw Aston Villa go 4-0 down at home to Southampton, before a late flurry of goals to make it 4-3 ensured the result looked far more respectable.
da pinnacle： Dean Smith will undoubtedly not be impressed with the way his side started the game, especially in that first-half, when they went behind by three goals and also saw Che Adams have a goal ruled out for the visitors too.
But the one man who perhaps let the manager down the most, was John McGinn. The Scotland international was nowhere to be seen during his side’s Premier League clash, almost looking lost at having to play in a more deeper role in central midfield.
He just couldn’t get himself involved in the game, with a Saints midfield run superbly by double free-kick goal-scorer James Ward-Prowse completely overwhelming him in the engine room.
As per Sofascore, McGinn won just two of his eight total duels, whilst his usually energetic and intelligent runs forward deserted him. He attempted no shots on goal whatsoever, whilst he provided just one key pass and managed no successful dribbles whatsoever either.
With a final match rating of 6.2, the Scot had the worst score of any Villa midfielder, and his anonymous display contributed massively to Villa falling to yet another defeat in the Premier League.
After a barnstorming start to the top-flight, Smith’s side have suffered back-to-back defeats, halting all the momentum they had built up. Of course, it’s important to not go too overboard with Villa losing, especially given that they only avoided relegation from the Premier League on the final day of last season.
But even whilst putting a lid on expectations, Sunday’s performance was more than just a bubble being burst. And McGinn’s lacklustre display at the heart of midfield was the perfect symbol of that.