Aston Villa star who lost the ball 16x was as bad as Bailey v Everton
Aston Villa failed to win their third game on the bounce at Goodison Park this weekend, as they were held to a drab 0-0 draw by Everton.
This was Unai Emery’s 11th away match of the season, yet they’ve only won four, which is extremely poor compared to their home form this campaign.
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How Everton v Aston Villa played out
Villa thought they had taken the lead in the first half through a powerful strike from Alex Moreno, but the goal was ruled out for offside. The game was even in the first half, however, Emi Martinez will be thanked for his vital stop against Dominic Calvert-Lewin in a 1v1 scenario when the English attacker simply had to score.
In the second half, the Villans dominated the tie and racked up 0.81 xG, but they failed to really test Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal. The best chance of the half fell to Matty Cash, who had his low effort blocked inside the box.
The Spaniard will be disappointed that his side were unable to pick up three points and further distance themselves from those fighting for a top-four spot. Some individuals were particularly frustrating in Merseyside, but in truth, it was a bad day at the office for all involved.
Leon Bailey had a relatively quiet afternoon and failed to impress, but John McGinn was the player who was far from his best and struggled against the physical Toffees midfield.
Leon Bailey’s game vs Everton by numbers
Bailey was fielded in his usual right midfield role in the 4-4-2 variant, but the Jamaican was marked out of the game by the relentless Vitaily Mykolenko, who didn’t give the forward an inch.
The winger wasn’t particularly wasteful in possession, as he had 79% pass accuracy, but other than one key pass, he failed to cause Sean Dyche’s backline any issues. This is highlighted by his xG of 0.07 and his expected assists (xA) of 0.05.
Bailey failed to make a single successful dribble in the game, and he also lost all three of his duels. The 26-year-old was ultimately subbed just after the hour mark, which sums up his level of threat throughout the game.
John McGinn’s stats vs Everton
McGinn is usually the energetic midfielder who demands high standards of himself and those around him, which is why he wears the captain’s armband. However, his performance against Everton was one of his worst this season.
Indeed, John Townley of Birmingham Mail offered the following summation at full-time: "McGinn is always dangerous on the half turn, but he was sloppy in possession today."
The Scotland international received a 6.8 rating via Sofascore, with the dynamic and hard-working Everton midfield trio running all over him. The table below highlights his performances using a handful of stats.
Possession lost
16x
Tackles
0
Interceptions
0
Duels Won
5/11
Key passes
0
The biggest concern in the game was how wasteful the midfielder was in possession, especially when attempting to force the issue down the left-hand side. This led to him giving the ball away 16 times, the second most for a Villa player behind Moreno.
Furthermore, McGinn is usually tenacious out of possession, but today he failed to make a single defensive action bar one clearance. The 29-year-old also failed to win half of his individual battles on the field, as shown by the five out of ten ground duels won.
Nothing will come from this performance in terms of McGinn’s place in the side, but it was certainly an afternoon to forget for the Scottish midfielder.