Wolves stun out of sorts Villa in Midlands derby

22:36And all of a sudden you're starting to think, are they going to fall away? My big concern. And I can certainly highlight some of the things that Morgan said. and I can understand certain things. But for me, I think it's typified the way their season's been. They haven't been clinical just of late, which they were in that great spell. Things went well for you. When things aren't going for you, this is what I mean. The changing room has to stick together. The manager has to stick together and they have to start producing results. Listen, I'm not saying Villa can't go and win the next two games, but from what we've seen from the past few weeks, it's been nowhere near.

23:11And I feel the next two games are absolutely vital or that they get something out of them. We expect it's going to be the top five that are going to make the Champions League spaces. When you look at the end of this weekend, what's happened between Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, Aston Villa are going to have to keep a close eye on those games because these are the teams that are very close behind them at the moment, Izzy. I know, and we're talking about a team who are the Premier League champions and Liverpool, Chelsea, who have got huge goals, expectations to be in that top four bare minimum.

23:40Manchester United are a different beast at the moment under Michael Carrick. And I think that's probably where Aston Villa, I mean, Morgan Rodgers alluded to it there, feeling the pressure a little bit. That's totally normal. But I think you hit the nail on the head, Lee, in terms of the characters. And I think you go into the performance today and the performance against Leeds last weekend. And to me, I wasn't looking at an Aston Villa side that believed in themselves that they were going to score. And I think you look at Arsenal, you look at Manchester City in particular, look at Manchester United at the moment.

24:05There's a genuine belief that they are going to score. And whether that be from a set piece, a scrappy goal, you know, a bit of excellence. but the way that Aston Villa approached this game tonight the chances they had we go back to the first half Pau Torres basically a free header inside the six yard box in the first half and of course the second half Inanna and it throws me back to last weekend against Leeds massive chance for Inanna as well just fails to score on those sort of scrappy goals and you just kind of think when things are not going your way in that sense you have to keep going you have to keep going they just haven't found that belief yeah and I think that was happening for them when they was having a good run You know, at times, you know, things were dropping.

24:43They were scoring late goals, which they have done, the scoring goals outside the box. I do feel that Villa being in this position and probably haven't been in this position for quite some time, let's face facts, you know, I think if you flip, reverse it and add Villa at sort of fifth or sixth chasing the pack down, I think that would probably suit them more. Being in that position, for me tonight, from a personal perspective, I'm not looking down, I'm looking at Arsenal. I'm thinking we could be eight points closer to Arsenal and putting pressure on Manchester City. I'm thinking runners-up, possibly in the Premier League.

25:16I'm not thinking about Manchester United. Now watching the game today, I'm not sure what Villa will actually think. And I feel that they're actually scared. They're a bit worried. They seem fragile. And it proved today in that performance, it really did. For all the key moments that they had and didn't produce, as we said, the Pau Torres chance, the Anana chance. you don't finish them chances off that starts, for me, it starts to feel negative the confidence just zaps out of the team so that's where I feel they're needing a big leader back in there they're needing them again back there as soon as possible I think he can drive the ship and get them going again but run out of time the games are coming thick and fast and they've got two massive ones coming up Looking at the bigger picture then for Aston Villa if they do drop out of these Champions League places is the biggest concern perhaps about what their team looks like next season if they're not playing in Europe's top competition?

26:11It's not just the team, I don't think. I think, yes, I mean, we've seen what they did in the summer. They haven't been able to bring players in in the summer. Unai Emery's done a fabulous job at the football club. There's no doubt of it. My concern is that the frustration's creeping in with Unai Emery. And let's be honest, if it's not Champions League next season, my concern is what does Unai Emery start to think? because he wants to win trophies. He wants to win silverware. He wants to be successful. That's my concern is that if Villa are dropping out of the Champions League, they're not going to be able to bring big players into the football club.

26:47The football club has stemmed and been on a journey where they've got themselves into Europe. They've had a taste of Champions League. That's what they want. The club are big, successful owners. They want this club to strive on. But dropping out this season and not being amongst the Champions Leagues We know what the financial structure is for that, to take the club forward and to attract players into the club. My concern is the manager. You know, will he want to stay and will he want to ride this journey that they're on? And I think I just look back into that, the game and the way that it kind of played out today and probably more towards you, Lee.

27:22Do you think John McGinn in there would have changed that performance? I just think John McGinn, it gives them something, doesn't it? You know, he'll go and make a challenge. It needed something like that tonight. It's a wet, zippy surface. Go and make a tackle. show something, show a bit of character, show someone that is going to get the lads turning around. John Benkine, he would have been pointing a few out today. He would have been. And that's what it really does need in that Villa side at the moment. I don't see anything like that. All right, then let's get some more Aston Villa reaction, shall we?

27:49Unai Emery is chatting with Johnny Phillips. Unai, it was a difficult night for your team. What was your assessment of that performance as a whole? Congratulations for the players. How the fantastic season we are doing. In terms of tonight, though, what did you see out there from your players? Fantastic first half. Fantastic first half. We dominated. We were creating chances. We were not considering nothing. And we deserved more the first half. The second half, we started to pull. They started to be pushing. And even we were losing some balls, the first half, we were not losing. and they got our box.

28:34Not clear chances, but they got our box the second half. And when they scored the goal, it was more and more difficult the match because, of course, they did their match after their goal, lost time. For me, seven minutes was, I think, more time we lost on the field with the referee as well. and we had one chance to draw with Maduro-Nana and we didn't do, we didn't score and we lost. But fantastic season we are doing and still in our average to get our ambitious objective in front another team that are contenders. We spoke to Morgan Rodgers, he said it was important that the players remembered it has been a great season so far and you've deserved to be where you are in the league.

29:29Is that your message to the players now when the pressure is increased after a game like that? Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Now is the moment to be together and to understand how is going the season, to understand we started pool, to understand how we reacted, to understand now the moment we are. We were recovering more or less because the last three matches we draw two and we won one. But today, again, we didn't achieve the result we needed. but still being in our hands to get our ambitious objective to be in the top position. How much of a concern was it today that as the second half went on, it did drop off?

30:09You weren't able to maintain the levels that you showed early in that first half? Yes, we tied it. But of course, the Open are playing and the Open as well. They have their structure and they have their very good players. and if you are with your chances of the first half dominating and not getting the advantage you deserve, it can happen. They can score one goal like in the second half, and after their goal, the match was completely different and they stopped a lot, their rhythm in the game. Even like that, we tried it, and we got their boss with corners, with some shoots, with good chances for Amadou and Ana.

30:51And after it, of course, the second goal was something not relevant after how we were finishing the match. I saw you on the technical area urging your players on at times and encouraging them. Were you looking for more from them in terms of intensity, in terms of effort? What was it? Pushing, helping, supporting, trying to be positive, trying to take as well our own rhythm, building the ball in combination and trying to dominate the match and again to attack against them. Not playing a little bit, breaking the rhythm because sometimes we were crashing against them, driving against the defence.

31:38and we needed to play thinking like we are building the team and then try to use our individual skills together to get it. And of course, the most important was our mentality. Try it, try it, try it, keep going, keep going. And now after finish the match and we lost, keep going forward. We are in the average. We are still being in a very good season. Of course, we must continue being consistent with demanding and getting, again, confidence. But we are doing a fantastic season, and this is the message. You're missing key players as well, particularly in the midfield areas as well. That mentality is something you'll really need going forward now, isn't it?

32:21It looked like a heavy pitch today, and the players were perhaps struggling physically, but the mentality has to be there. We have Maduro Nana, we have Douglas Lewis, we have Ross Barkley, we have Lamar Bogard. Of course, we have some players injured, but it's something we know can happen. But overall, with every player we have, we are here. And we are here, and of course now we must continue being together and keep going forward. After the second goal, you headed straight down the tunnel at the end. Was that just frustration on your part? No, the match was finished. Thanks for your time, Unai.

32:56OK.

32:59Well, Lizzie, it feels like there's a real sense of trying to stay positive from Unai Emery, where he says they have to just keep going, keep looking forward. Is that what you have to do when you're a player in this situation? Don't let a result like this get to you? 100 % I think you have to capture it now, feel it. They have to take in the emotion and how they feel and they can't let it happen again. Lee alluded to it earlier around the performance. I think the result is one thing today. It's a poor result, but I also thought the performance was poor. Emery referred to theirs the first half was good.

33:27I thought in terms of chances, yeah, OK. But I don't think they were the better team in the first half. I think Wolves went in at half-time probably feeling the stronger out of the two mentally in terms of confidence. But it's a tough running. We can see that. And the next two Premier League games coming up, Chelsea and Manchester United, we've spoken about, you know, they're chomping at the bit. They're pushing for that fourth spot in between, but they're pushing for third and they want to be where Aston Villa are. So it's a case from Aston Villa's camp. You've got to capture where you're feeling.

33:56You've got to capture how you're feeling, sorry. And then you've got to kind of use it to motivate you. And Emery just made a point there about being the team that's got them there this far. they're the team that can continue and it's a huge test of character over the next few weeks for that side. Of course Lee, Aston Villa are going to be wanting to stay in those places in the Premier League table. We've been focusing a lot on where they are in the Premier League. There is another avenue though for them to get into the Champions League. That's of course if they win the Europa League. You can see that they've got the two games against Lille.

34:26Unai Emery is a specialist at the Europa League, isn't he? Yes he is. And to be honest with you, listen, nothing to give any football is it? You know, you can have the best manager in the world, you can have top managers who have had success and he has had success in this competition. This isn't a walk in the park at all, is it? I mean, Lillard, no mugs. I think once you get to this sort of latter stages of the Europa League, you know, you're coming up against some top sides, it changes, the whole dynamics change to what you're used to in the Premier League. He's brilliant at doing that and making sure he gets the right blend but I think listening to that sort of interview there I think he is totally trying to protect his players he's trying to protect the confidence he's trying to make them believe still which he's a manager that's that's why he's been so successful but these fixtures that are coming up you know you you can't start thinking that that you know I listen to a lot of Villa fans and they think I will win the Europa League it's not as easy as that we got knocked out of the FA Cup with a strong side.

35:29We're sort of drifting away from the top three at the moment. It is about that re-galvanising for me. You want to keep it in your own hands, don't you? Yeah. I know he's saying about the players that he's got at the moment and the players that he's using, but for me, it just needs something more of a spark. I don't think they're creating enough chances. I think that's where Villa have been really good when they've got themselves into great positions in that attacking third. But the last two home games, I think it's two shots on target in one shot in each game, which is not good enough for me. And again, I think it's starting to highlight how he transforms and changes that dynamic.

36:11Now, he's down to the main man, Unai Emery, because he's done, you know, listen, I can't sing his praises enough to what he's done to the football club, but them fixtures look very, very daunting. I felt if they could get through these next three fixtures unscathed, I felt that, you know, you look at West Ham, Forest, Sunderland, Fulham, Tottenham, they're winnable games. And that's where I felt that they might just go and kick on. That is a damaging defeat, regardless of how that second goal went in. They've lost 2-0. 2-0 on paper. No matter what you look at it, no matter how you try and undress it or dress it down, that is a bad, bad result for Aston Villa.

36:49Unai Emery mentioned the chance that Onana had right at the end. that would have really changed. Everything that we've been speaking about, Izzy, in terms of should they be worried? Because a point would have been really important for them regardless. Yeah, absolutely. This is a golden chance for Anani. He takes two, three touches, and I think he just needs to hit it. We'll see it better from this angle. But this was the moment, and there was almost still enough time at this point. If this goes in the back of the net, you'd almost say, how quickly could that have shifted in their favour? But just the way he strikes it, he tries to play with the outside of his foot and fair play to Jose Sarr.

37:22It's an absolutely superb, sprawling save to deny that. And that was a huge moment, but also first half chances. Oli Watkins, Paul Torres on the header. There was just so many, well, not so many, but there was enough chances for Aston Villa not to be in that situation.

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38:17well there were some brilliant celebrations from rob wedwoods at full time his second victory as Wolves head coach. Look at that. Big, big celebrations. Big smile on his face. We can hear from him now. He's with Johnny Phillips. Rob, that was some performance and some nights when you look at the celebrations at the end. Talk us through your own thoughts on it. Yeah, I'm actually really proud. That's why I came here. You know, nights like that, to connect with supporters like that. That's, you know, football's great. I know we're in a difficult position. I love football. I love it on nights like that.

38:49It's brilliant. Is it one of those games as well where you felt the players really stuck to the game plan, showed what they're about and cut out the mistakes? Yeah, exactly that, I think. Nailed it. Real commitment. Didn't get everything right in the first half, but Villa are really good and they're clever. They can manipulate you and move you into places to try and make it difficult to press. We just did one or two things at half-time. I thought the second half was excellent. I know that's when we got our goals and people might look at it and think, what a great second half performance that was.

39:19but I thought we really grew into the game. I thought we were very, very good against a brilliant team. So you've got to be pretty good to be able to get a result like that against them. What were those adjustments you made at half-time, even if they were just slides, just to get on the front foot more? We just pressed slightly differently. We just asked Arma just to do the two centre-backs to try and keep them one way and have JJ and Mane on the two pivots for them because it was difficult for us to constantly get pressure on the centre-backs and Onana, for instance. or Douglas Luiz. So, yeah, we just adjusted that.

39:52If we were going to give anyone free, it was going to be a centre-back and then go to work from there. But we still thought there'd be lots of opportunities for us in transition when we won the ball back. There were spaces there, there were moments that we didn't take full advantage of in the first half. So, it was nice to get the one right at the end from a transition and a fast attack when they're obviously committing more bodies forward. But those are the sort of spaces that Villa will give you because their line's so high. But yeah, just really pleased that we were, you know, We were ruthless when we needed to be.

40:19Defending was amazing. Everyone from Jose Sarr, right the way through, there was a desire to block and defend the goal with our lives. That's what you need, not just in a derby. All the time. All the time. So it was a really good night for us. That solid base at the back is something you haven't really had since you've been here as well. And when you get it, when you get a performance like that... Thanks, Johnny. We've had a few clean sheets. I've been too fair since we've been here. No, in fairness, what I'm saying is the team in the whole has struggled to keep a clean sheet. but that was a really big important one against a good team.

40:48Of course it was, yeah. Really difficult to keep Villa out and anyone in the Premier League. We have been more solid. A lot of, not all about stats, but you look at a lot of stats over the last 15 games or so, we'll be right up there for defensive work. It's just, it might be the odd mistake, like you said, or we get punished at this level. But yeah, tonight, zeros and ones are going to give you a chance to get points and get something from games. and we've had a few but tonight was really important if you give Villa something to hold on to as well, it's really difficult they can kill you with their quality as well and we didn't allow that Can I just ask you about Jackson Chichua as well, the fans can be a bit critical of his performances he looked a changed man in that second half as well and he seemed to really respond to some of your instructions about getting forward and showing what he's about Yeah, listen, he's a really honest guy and he really does he gives everything and the fans, because he's so quick, there's an expectation, just go, beat your man and go and put the cross in.

41:47We're really trying to encourage that and keep that. I will clap if he goes and gets at his man and kicks it into the stand or if it does go out for a goal kick, I'll applaud that because I want him to be brave, I want him to be positive, be on the front foot. I thought in the second half there were some really good examples of him committing Dini or whoever he was going at and being really positive. He put a couple of great balls in, he was obviously involved in the goal and his defensive work was excellent as well. So I always want everyone to stick by the lads and keep backing them and believing them because he's got to be brave in those moments and even if he makes a mistake, keep backing him.

42:24And overall, is this something to really build on going forward as well? Because everyone still looks at the league position but there must be a frustration that you weren't here earlier in a way when you're getting these performances and results. Thank you, that's nice. We're improving and that's all we can do and that's all we ever try to do, Johnny. So we'll keep our head down, stay grounded because you're right, we know where we are in the league so it's important that we just keep working really hard, showing that spirit and fight and pick up as many points as we can. Well done tonight. Thank you.

42:52Cheers. Well, Rob Edwards saying that they are improving. You can absolutely see that in the performances that they're putting in at the moment. We spoke a lot about what they're going to look like next season. They're in a really difficult position at the moment in the table But are the games now for them just showing signs of that development, that improvement that they wanted to see? Yeah, I think so. I think, Rob, you know, it takes time, doesn't it? I think when you're trying to fix a football club, you've been handed a squad of players that probably don't suit your criteria, your style. You know, you have to have that bit of time on the training field.

43:26You have to have them players believing. You know, the confidence must have been zapped out of most of them Wolves players in that squad. So Rob having that mentality and the way he is, you know, he's starting to get a tune out of them defensively. Everywhere he's been, at Forest Green, I've said, you know, I thought he was good defensively. You know, at Luton, you look at how compact and how solid they were and they utilised a counter-attack. And I think that's what he's trying to do. He's trying to build something completely for next season. That's why he's brought the likes of Adam Armstrong into the football club, ready and prepared if they do.

43:59which it seems that it's inevitable that they will be playing Championship football next season but he's done a great job and credit to Rob. How much credit goes to the players as well Izzy? Of course it goes to Rob Edwards the manager and what he's done at the club but for the players as well who know they're in such a difficult position but to come out and perform like that? Well they're playing for their reputations they're playing in the Premier League which is I imagine one of the biggest privileges as a footballer because I think the way that Rob Edwards the biggest compliment I can give him is you can see the players playing for him and I was just saying to Lee then in terms of if they are going to be playing championship football next season, these sorts of wins.

44:33This is dressing room scenes, by the way. Well, this is dressing room scenes, yeah. Is this a Rob Edwards come, is it? No, but in terms of the players believing in that, that feeling must be incredible inside those changing rooms. You've got to cherish it, feel it. And obviously for Rob Edwards, I think it's massive for him getting that buy-in from the players and whatever happens for them moving forward, these moments are very precious for them. How much do these moments help you as a player when you have this feeling? Huge. Well, they haven't had this feeling, have they really all season? I've had one win, have they?

45:00And, you know, that feeling, that buzz, you know, and I think the thing is with Wolves, I've said how good they've slowly started to pick up and slowly started to play decent football since Rob's gone in. So I said about the, you know, the Arsenal game, the Palace game where they were very close, small moments, but their moments are massive in changing rooms. It gets everyone believing the music's on. I mean, compare that to the Villa changing room this evening. You know exactly where you're going. So that's what football's all about, winning games and being successful. Yeah, that is what football's all about.

45:33Izzy, Lee, thank you so much for joining us. So not the night that Aston Villa would have wanted in the end, but for Wolves, it was a massive victory. They're second in the league as well. So one down, five more to go in the Premier League across Sky Sports.

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