Battle of the Rebuilds Needing First League Win: Tottenham vs Aston Villa Preview
My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa PodcastShow Notes
Aston Villa travel to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday for the early kick-off, with both clubs still chasing a first league win of the season. Both teams will want to be heading into the international break outside of the bottom three, with Villa needing the win to achieve that.
The preview looks at Tottenham's big-spending summer: a squad of ready-made signings, an ownership that has chosen to back its manager after Daniel Levy's departure, and a side that keeps creating chances without finishing them. It sets that against Villa's very different rebuild — younger, higher-ceiling, and still without a settled first XI due to various fitness and availability issues.
With Ian Maatsen out for six to eight weeks and Pau Torres missing, the full-back positions and the balance of the midfield could decide the game, and there's a case for João Gomes' defensive bite being essential against Spurs' new midfield set-up. . Also, a light is shown on the reality of Villa's Champions League league-phase ticket pricing, not having any impact on bridging the gap with the Sky Six, including Tottenham.
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Credits:
David Michael - @myoldmansaid | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame
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More from My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa Podcast
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Aston Villa drew 2-2 with Brentford at Villa Park in the Premier League, leaving them still without a league win at home this season. Unai Emery went with Tyrone Mings over Pau Torres to deal with Brentford's set pieces, which seemed the right move in the first half, as the long throw-ins rained in, until a misplaced pass put a question mark over Villa's ability to play through Brentford's press.
Aston Villa host Brentford at Villa Park in their first game after the extended international break, still looking for a first home league win of the season. With the Bees currently fourth in the Premier League table, built on set pieces, and with a decent recent record against Villa, it'll be a good test of where this new Villa team are at.