Aston Villa ended their pre-season programme with a 2-1 defeat against Borussia Mönchengladbach at Borussia-Park on Saturday.
Unai Emery’s side returned to action only three days after their narrow UEFA Super Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, but another close loss means Villa now head into the Premier League campaign looking for a response.
BirminghamLive’s match coverage followed the action from Germany as Gladbach secured a 2-1 victory in Villa’s final summer friendly.
Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 Aston Villa
The fixture represented Emery’s final opportunity to assess his squad in match conditions before the domestic season begins.
Villa travelled to Germany with several selection issues already emerging following Wednesday’s Super Cup final.
Brian Madjo and João Gomes both suffered injury setbacks after the meeting with PSG, leaving Emery with fewer options for the final friendly.
ReadAstonVilla had looked at the possible changes before kick-off in our predicted Aston Villa XI against Borussia Monchengladbach.
The result itself will not define Villa’s preparations, but conceding twice in the final warm-up provides Emery with more to consider before competitive domestic football returns.
Villa have undergone major changes throughout the summer, with several established players leaving and new arrivals still adapting to Emery’s system.
There have nevertheless been encouraging signs.
The performance against PSG demonstrated that Villa can compete closely with elite opposition, while youngsters including Brian Madjo and George Hemmings have strengthened their first-team cases during pre-season.
Saturday was another opportunity for Emery to assess the depth behind his strongest XI.
Brighton now becomes the focus
There is no longer another friendly in which to experiment.
Villa’s next fixture is the Premier League opener away at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, 23 August, meaning Emery now has a full week to prepare his squad for the first domestic test of the campaign.
Selection decisions remain across the pitch, while the transfer window could still change the make-up of the squad before then.
ReadAstonVilla highlighted earlier on Saturday how Brian Madjo’s injury has handed Tammy Abraham a major opportunity, with Villa’s attacking hierarchy among the areas Emery must settle.
Pre-season is ultimately about preparation rather than results.
But back-to-back 2-1 defeats against PSG and Gladbach leave Villa with lessons to address before the points start to matter.
