Aston Villa 0-0 Juventus

VILLA PARK — Well, that was boring, but at least we now know the answer to what happens when an out-of-form team faces a team fielding its youngest player ever. Champions League XI.

It’s something, sort of, and that’s the point Villa Aston learned drawing with Juventusone who maintains his unbeaten record at home in this competition and leaves his top eight hopes on the line.

Villa are now ninth in this 36-team table, with RB Leipzig and Monaco away and Celtic at home all to come, drawing against Juve – the 36-time Serie A winners, after all – and yet another clean sheet in the Champions League. bad thing.

But as well as the disappointment of Morgan Rogers’ late strike being ruled out, the manner in which the draw played out did little to improve the mood inside Villa Park. In all competitions, Villa’s winless run stretches to seven games, the longest drought of Unai Emery’s two years and a month here, and he would do well to thaw out his players in time for Chelsea on Sunday, where this could easily expand to eight. .

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Wednesday night was a victory for the cold. The warmth of the pre-match fireworks was fleeting, and after the applause for Emiliano Martinez – showing off his two Yashin trophies before kick-off – subsided and the roar of the supporters to end the the anthem of the Champions League has calmed down, a frost has set in.

It brought together some 42,000 people in the four stands at Villa Park, but mostly 22 on the pitch, and what followed was an opening half hour where very little happened except for the fans’ frustration with referee Jesus Gil Manzano. Youri Tielemans and Leon Bailey have recorded early bookings.

The first shot on target didn’t come until the 37th minute, with Ollie Watkins working a yard of space himself and testing Michele Di Gregorio, while Francisco Conceicao responded in kind as Martinez made a smart save.

In the first and only minute of stoppage time, Lucas Digne’s free kick then hits the top of the bar and rebounds, just like the memory of a half-time left forgotten.

After the break, Martinez showed why he has been named the world’s best goalkeeper back-to-back, preventing Conceicao with one hand from keeping the winger’s header wide – just.

The chant of ‘world number one’ was the Villa fans’ first call to action during the half, proving the extent to which they had been deprived of any attacking production from their own team.

That changed in the 70th minute when Bailey spotted John McGinn, whose low shot was blocked, but otherwise it was all too slow, with Rogers looking lethargic and Watkins feeding on scraps.

Juve may well be laughing, given they only had six players, including two goalkeepers, on the bench, but Villa weren’t really blessed with options beyond the inevitable introduction by Jhon Duran.

It happened too late, in the 78th minute, with Ross Barkley coming on, and it made no difference in the outcome – with Rogers denied in added time – leaving Emery with no more puzzles to do.

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The problem appears to be in midfield, where Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara are still expected to start together. This is arguably the desired double pivot for Emery since Douglas Luiz left for Juve in the summer, but what could well be a promising partnership is yet to take off.

Meanwhile, Emery has maintained faith in Tielemans, starting the Belgian in every Champions League and Premier League game so far this season.

Tielemans is arguably better used further out – he scored for Villa first goal in the Champions League against Young Boys in September – but for now, he fills a gap, and once Onana returns, it could be a matter of casting one of McGinn or Tielemans in a more offensive role.

Rogers’ own position – having played on the left against Juve with McGinn the central attacking midfielder – could also be called into question, as despite the late drama he was otherwise poor, leaving Emery with the prospect of dropping either his captain, or a player who recently made his England debut, if he wishes to advance Tielemans.

Reminding Rogers that he’s not invincible might prove beneficial in the long run, and while it seems drastic, in that moment, something has to give. Such a move requires bold change.