- Simon Jordon has slated Aston Villa after their 2-1 loss to Tottenham on Sunday night
- Unai Emery made seven changes to the starting lineup
- They registered their first shot on target in the 96th minute
TalkSport host Simon Jordan didn’t pull any punches following Aston Villa’s recent 2-1 collapse at Villa Park, branding their performance against Tottenham Hotspur an “absolute disgrace.”
While the 2-1 scoreline might suggest a competitive North London vs. Midlands scrap, Jordan argued that the result actually flattered Unai Emery’s side. In his view, the Villans were abysmal from start to finish, failing to show any of the tactical discipline or intensity that has defined their recent rise.
Unai Emery made seven changes to his starting XI, with Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest in mind. Despite heavily rotating, the players were still good enough to make it difficult for Robert De Zerbi’s side, but they put in one of the worst displays of the season.
They showed no fight, passion or intensity, and were made a mockery by a Tottenham team who are in the heart of a relegation battle.
Connor Gallagher and Richarlison scored both goals in the first half, whilst Villa failed to register a single shot. Every challenge seemed to be won by a Tottenham player, and they waltzed through Villa’s midfield with ease.
Emi Buendia’s neat header in the 96th minute was too late, as boos rang around Villa Park after the final whistle. It was their third defeat in a row, and now even more pressure has been added to the semi-final second leg on Thursday.
Simon Jordan labels it an “absolute disgrace of a performance”
Speaking on talkSPORT, Simon Jordan discussed Villa’s performance.
“Tottenham were good, better. But the more Tottenham got into that game, the more they realised that Aston Villa were going to do absolutely bugger all, let alone lift a leg.
“Tottenham got bolder and bolder and looked better. No one’s taking it away from Spurs. I’m glad they got a result.
“The fact is that Aston Villa put top players in there, not mugs. If you’re an Aston Villa fan, go and watch that game, having paid a lot of money for it, despite the fact you’ve got a big game coming in the week, and we know that you just played, and you’re going to be a bit leggy. That’s why you made the changes.
“But even the manager, he looked completely nonplussed, disengaged, completely out of sorts. I don’t think you should be questioning integrity. I think you should be calling it what it was, an absolute disgrace of a performance.
“Spurs must have been rubbing their hands, thinking we are never, ever going to get a better opportunity to play such a slovenly, disengaged, unmotivated, chaotic, poor side as Aston Villa.
“That is as bad a Premier League performance as I think I have ever seen, even watching Derby and watching Wolves. They were so disconnected, so disengaged, so disinterested, so under-aroused that it made Spurs look like PSG.”
Jordan calls out “shocking” players
Jordan also criticised the performances of Tyrone Mings, Youri Tielemans, Ross Barkley and Tammy Abraham.
“Look at the players that were in that team. Look at the noise and the experience around. We had to listen to Tyrone Mings over the years about what he thinks he’s entitled to. That performance in that side was abject.
“Tielemans was abject, Ross Barkley was a mile off. Tammy Abraham didn’t lift a leg. They were shocking.
“I’m not just saying it because I’ve got any dog in the fight or axe to grind. I sat there watching; they’re just cheats. They cheated the paying public out of a performance.”
ReadAstonVilla Verdict
This result probably marks the lowest point in Unai Emery’s tenure at Aston Villa. It has placed immense pressure on their upcoming semi-final second leg, and if they do not perform, then the supporters’ frustration will grow over boiling point.
The fallout from this defeat suggests a significant turning point in the relationship between the Villa faithful and a squad that has, until now, enjoyed a meteoric rise under Unai Emery.
Simon Jordan’s scathing assessment labelling the team “cheats” and the display a “disgrace” resonates so strongly because it taps into the fear that the club’s newfound status has bred a sense of complacency.
The specific call-outs of senior figures like Tyrone Mings, Youri Tielemans, and Ross Barkley are particularly damaging. These are not inexperienced youngsters; they are seasoned internationals who were expected to provide the spine of a rotated side.
The fact that Villa failed to register a single shot until the 96th minute against a Tottenham team fighting for survival is an indictment of the players’ application. To be made a mockery of by a relegation-threatened side suggests a total lack of professional pride that Jordan believes “cheated the paying public.”
This result has effectively stripped away the “feel-good factor” at Villa Park and replaced it with a toxic level of pressure. The boos that rang out at the final whistle serve as a stern warning: the fans will forgive a loss, but they will not forgive a lack of effort.
Ultimately, if Aston Villa fails to overturn their European deficit or put in a spirited performance on Thursday, this “abysmal” Sunday night will be remembered as the key moment in the Emery project.
