Analysis: Aston Villa face major test of character after Leicester humbling

Quite how Dean Smith’s team respond to the most sobering afternoon of their Premier League return to date will go a long way to determining quite how the rest of the campaign plays out.

Above all else, this is a time for cool heads. Tough though the experience of losing 4-1 to Leicester on their own patch was and as perilous as their position in the table might appear, with only goal difference keeping them out of the bottom three it is really far too soon to be pressing the panic button.

By the same token, Villa’s only midweek without a fixture this month provides the head coach much-needed time for reflection, along with an opportunity to address some of the common issues which have plagued his team during a run of five defeats in seven matches.

Villa, in truth, have played relatively well during that stretch but on Sunday, for the first real time since returning to the top flight, looked out of their depth against opponents who strolled to their ninth consecutive victory in all competitions.

For Villa, it was the kind of performance which will leave supporters fearing a lengthy relegation battle.

In the short-term at least, they will go to Sheffield United on Saturday with those fans expecting some kind of response.

That fixture leads into a vital festive period which sees Villa play the only three teams currently below them in the table in the space of eight days.

It is not a run they will want to enter with confidence on the wane, yet for long periods of Sunday’s second half Villa were sorely lacking in drive and that is an issue which must be quickly addressed.

The opposition, of course, needs taking into account. Villa’s fixture list since the end of October has been nothing short of brutal and on this occasion they ran into a Leicester City outfit operating close to their full potential.

That explains, in part, why Smith was reluctant to be too harsh on his players in the immediate aftermath.

Yet Villa’s boss is no fool and knows they were guilty of making things far too easy for the Foxes.

Not for the first time this term, there was a sense Villa’s open and aggressive style played right into the hands of opponents who thrive on the counter-attack.

All told, they conceded 23 chances during the course of the 90 minutes, with only the heroics of Tom Heaton – who denied both Caglar Soyuncu and Harvey Barnes in the closing stages – ensuring the scoreline did not take on truly embarrassing proportions.

Granted, Villa were not helped by the loss of Tyrone Mings at a crucial time of the game.

The centre-back looked all set to come off after receiving treatment on a hamstring injury, but the change was delayed as he attempted to run off the problem, with Jamie Vardy opening the scoring for the visitors during that period.

Mings might not have been quite at his best in recent weeks but without his presence Villa’s backline lacked leadership.

Ezri Konsa and Bjorn Engels, who replaced the England international off the bench, both struggled to cope with the visiting team’s movement.

Yet while it would seem obvious to focus on the defence, particularly after a week which has seen Villa concede eight goals in three matches, the larger issue might actually lie in a midfield lacking in cohesion and failing to provide the team with an effective engine room.

Smith, not without reason, handed a recall to Douglas Luiz following his impressive cameo off the bench in Wednesday’s defeat at Chelsea.

But the Brazilian failed to back it up, with his lack of care on the ball putting Villa’s defence on the back foot on more than one occasion in the first half.

Marvelous Nakamba and John McGinn were similarly wasteful in possession as the visitors grasped control of the game.

Up front this was, meanwhile, another tough day for Wesley.

The club’s record buy had come in for criticism following a below-par performance against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, though this showing was arguably worse.

Little he tried came off, while a tendency to always find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time drew increasing groans from supporters.

It was Wesley who was responsible for losing the ball in the build-up to Vardy’s opener, another factor which did nothing to help his cause.

Smith is seemingly determined to persevere with the £22million man – with Jonathan Kodjia, the club’s only other fit and available striker, once more an unused substitute.

Yet it does rather feel, not for the first time, the club’s much talked about £127million summer spending spree was short to the tune of one forward.

Smith might point to the fact scoring goals has not been so much of a problem for his team as keeping them out.

Jack Grealish’s strike on the stroke of half-time meant Villa have now scored in six consecutive Premier League matches, with champions Manchester City the only team to have kept them out since September.

Anwar El Ghazi has been among their more productive players, but the winger – back in the team following a knee injury – could only hit the bar from seven yards out with the game still goalless.

Had that chance gone on, things might have panned out differently.

Instead, it was Vardy and Leicester who seized the initiative, the striker netting for the eighth straight game when he rounded Heaton and slotted home at the second attempt.

Kelechi Iheanacho, who had made the first, doubled the lead four minutes before the break and though Grealish’s goal gave Villa brief hope, it was quickly erased when Jonny Evans was left unmarked to restore the visitors’ two-goal cushion early in the second period.

When Vardy made it 4-1 with 15 minutes to go, the final whistle could not come quickly enough for Smith and his players.