Aston Villa might not be stylish. They might not even play well. But they are ruthlessly efficient

Ezri Konsa scored as Aston Villa showed their character once again Stefano Rellandini/Getty Images Share full articleTwo towers are prominent in the Bologna skyline: Le Due Torri, symbols of the city’s historic wealth and power. The Garisenda, the smaller tower with a pronounced lean, is striking. These days, though, the surrounding area is roped off in fear that debris is increasingly likely to fall, owing to the tower’s growing slant. A rough estimate is that it will take €20million (£17.4m) and at least a decade to restore the tower to complete safety. Two miles east of the towers, in Bologna’s Renato Dall’Ara Stadium, Aston Villa’s own foundations were at risk. In the face of Bologna’s man-to-man press — a threat they were well accustomed to having played their Serie A counterparts three times in 18 months — Villa were teetering. Unai Emery reckoned the most important challenge for his side was to “compete”. Although “earning the right to play” is a common saying among coaches across all leagues, it was particularly pertinent against Bologna’s set-up. Bologna’s man-to-man press is incessant and does not change for any opponent, home or away. It is their defining strength. When asked by The Athletic about their approach before the game, Emery spoke expressively for more than two-and-a-half minutes. “They are a team who want to play always getting duels,” he said. “Tomorrow is not going to be easy. It’s going to be difficult. This is to compete. “Tomorrow is a very great test for us. We must adapt to them getting duels a lot of times.” Tellingly, Matty Cash also raised Bologna’s appetite for constant duels in his pre-match press conference. It had clearly been discussed by Villa in preparation and yet, for long periods, Villa toiled in the heat of such aggression.  One of the best ways to disrupt a team that wants to create essentially 10 duels on the pitch is for players to move into different areas and rotate, dragging their marker into unfamiliar, uncomfortable positions. From kick off, with Villa passing back to Emiliano Martinez — he, of course, did not have a direct marker — the No 10s dropped deep and inside the pitch, coaxing Bologna’s full-backs into midfield. If the intention was good, the execution was not. Martinez ended up overhitting long balls aimed for Ollie Watkins over Bologna’s high press and Villa could not progress the ball upfield with any accuracy.  Jonathan Rowe, Bologna’s 22-year-old left winger, had caused notable issues against Villa with his previous side Marseille in pre-season and was direct and imposing here. Having a talented soloist in a system which thrives on one-vs-ones can break an opponent apart. Unfortunately for Cash, he was in the line of fire. As with Bologna’s press, Rowe’s threat should not have come as a surprise — they were interested in signing him in 2024. In retreat, Villa sank deeper, and had just 37 per cent possession in the first half. The two No 10s, Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia, made just six combined passes in the first 40 minutes. Bologna twice came very close to opening scoring. Santiago Castro’s intended cross deflected off Ezri Konsa and over the line, only for the striker’s toe to be judged offside in the build-up. Just over a minute later, Bologna hit the crossbar. “It could’ve been different,” Watkins told TNT Sports after. “They had a disallowed goal, and if that turned and it was 1-0 and stayed that way, it would’ve been a long way back for us. We got lucky. They played tough today. “Their winger was causing problems tonight.” Like the Garisenda, Villa appeared in need of repair. Tactically, Villa could not cut through and expose the riskiness of Bologna’s strategy, which left space in behind. Instead Villa looked like being overwhelmed by their intensity. Yet, with all the shortcomings developing in the first half, Konsa’s goal just two minutes before the break — Villa’s only shot on target in that time — was not a surprise. Maybe it was entirely predictable. Villa have developed a neat penchant for scoring when they do not play well. This was one of a growing number of examples — Lille, Basel and RB Salzburg, to name a few in the Europa League this season. They can switch the momentum violently and here, Konsa’s header into an empty net after Bologna’s goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia swiped at thin air, was met with silence. Reaching the season’s inflexion point, Villa are rarely swash-buckling but they are efficient. Fundamentally, that is what football is all about, underlined by other English clubs’ struggles in Europe or inability to find any consistency in the league.  Discernibly, very little changed at the start of the second half. Bologna, chiefly through Rowe, kept Villa on their heels.  For all the tactical eruditeness and abounding energy, Bologna were their own worst enemies. Two odd passes led to Buendia’s interception ricocheting into Watkins’ path for Villa’s second. Bologna fell a yard off the press, or off the “duel” as Emery would say, providing more time, space and, in turn, comfort for Villa’s players who, even if they themselves were struggling, found solace in the scoreline. “In the second half, we got the plan better,” Emery said in his post-match press conference. “We could connect better with the 10s and progress better with our striker. In the first half, we went long more than we planned. But in the second half, we connected more.” To their credit, Bologna rallied for one more crack at Villa. First, they hit the frame of Martinez’s goal again. Second, Villa’s goalkeeper tipped over Rowe’s curling effort.  Aptly, it was third time lucky (or sixth if counting the whole match), when Rowe found the bottom corner.  The stirring of the home supporters by Rowe, however, made the sound of silence more deafening in the final minute. In what might prove the decisive goal in this quarter-final tie came through Watkins again and a corner once more, with Bologna inexplicably allowing the forward time to control and finish from close range. In the end, ironically, Villa’s xG 1.64 had outperformed Bologna’s (0.90). Villa take Bologna back to the Midlands next week with a two-goal advantage. 3-1 was a scoreline that could have easily been flipped, yet Villa’s efficiency, or endurance, is a trait that has served them well against menacing atmospheres on the road or when weathering heavy storms on the pitch. After eight straight wins in the Europa League, victory in Bologna was the latest and clearest example of such character. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Jacob is a football reporter covering Aston Villa for The Athletic. Previously, he followed Southampton FC for The Athletic after spending three years writing about south coast football, working as a sports journalist for Reach PLC. In 2021, he was awarded the Football Writers' Association Student Football Writer of the Year. Follow Jacob on Twitter @J_Tanswell