In a city known for its automotive heritage, Unai Emery's men put in a fitting performance: they got stuck on the grid.
Villa's third straight game in seven days proved one too many as they sputtered to a deserved defeat. It wasn't that they were suffocating – far from it – but tired legs were undoubtedly a factor after visits to Goodison Park and the Emirates in the past week.
They rallied briefly but were unable to force their way past opponents who had their own plans to finish in the top eight, much to the chagrin of HRH Prince William, who was watching from the stands.
And now the stage is set for a showdown with Celtic at Villa Park next week, which will determine whether Villa can reach the elite end of the competition. If they can do that, it will increase the prize money, avoid the possibility of a play-off match – and potentially give them a weaker draw in the last 16.
So the stakes were high before kick-off. Although the assignment was supposedly explained by Emery, his players were unfortunately unable to fulfill it. They seemed to lack their usual energy everywhere on the pitch and were caught at a set-piece – and could not recover.
In fairness, Villa had their best period just before the break, with home keeper Radoslaw Majecki saving well from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins. But Monaco caused problems of its own.
Adi Hutter's side may have been beaten by Arsenal in north London, but they have a good reputation in the Principality. Barcelona were one of their scalps earlier this season. And Red Star Belgrade was defeated by five.
To prove a point, they were ahead within eight minutes. Lamine Camara's prowess in set pieces is known throughout Europe. And the corner, delivered at the near post, saw Thilo Kehrer rise between Watkins and Tyrone Mings to fire a header towards goal.
Villa keeper Emi Martinez did well to distribute the initial effort, but Wilfried Singo was on hand to nod in the rebound. The Argentina goalkeeper, whose antics during the penalty shootout in the World Cup final against France three years ago upset an entire country, was loudly booed when he was called into action.
And moments later he had to be alert when Maghnes Akliouche's photo from the edge of the area brought out the best. Slowly, Villa managed to make an effort. Polish goalkeeper Majecki produced a one-handed save to block Bailey's attempt.
And with the same hand he denied Watkins, with a better stop after the England striker broke free from Monaco's defensive shackles in stoppage time. Emery had seen enough after a few minutes to hook the out-of-control Bailey, giving Jhon Duran the chance to further cement his reputation in the competition.
But strangely, despite Duran having twice made a big difference after coming off the bench in the league, they lived up to Emery's pre-match expectations. The Spaniard had expressed concerns over whether they can operate together, calling the situation “a challenge.”
Here they both failed. After the Spaniard took that gamble, Villa strangely declined as an attacking threat. It seemed more likely that Monaco would increase their score in the late stages. A clearly upset Emery shook Hutter's hand and then stomped to the opposite corner of the pitch, towards the dugouts where the changing rooms are housed at the Stade Louis II.
Villa has work to do next week. A full house against one of Scotland's big players should be enough to show more effort than they showed last night.
Comments