Basel 1-2 Aston Villa: Roger Federer watches Europe’s in-form workforce overcome his native aspect as Evann Guessand and Youri Tielemans strike to maintain European odyssey motoring
We will never know if Roger Federer approved but, sitting in the comfortable seats, the most graceful tennis player of all-time would have recognised the artistry.
How fitting that Youri Tielemans was wearing all-white, as he whipped in a drive that resembled one of those curling Federer forehands that would zip down Wimbledon’s white lines and leave an opponent shaking their head in dismay.
Federer, born and raised in Basel, was back in town to give support to his local team but his night was ruined as the Aston Villa roadshow rolled on relentlessly, Tielemans providing the flourish that secured an eighth consecutive victory and kept their European odyssey motoring.
There is a log jam at the top of the Europa League table, six teams separated by a point and all manner of equations keeping the statisticians busy, but one simple fact cannot be escaped and that is Villa have claims to be regarded as the continent’s most in-form team.
What a job Unai Emery is doing. It’s hard to believe that it was only 82 days ago Aston Villa’s manager was furiously hissing in Sunderland’s media theatre, hissing that his squad had been “lazy” and bemoaning their inability to fulfil their potential.
He isn’t doing that now. While it is true that Emery will never get carried away – and he finds talk of trophies before Christmas presents have been opened preposterous – the thousands who made the journey to St Jakob Park were more than happy to do so.
Evann Guessand scored the opening goal of the game for Aston Villa against Basel
Tennis icon Roger Federer watched on at St. Jakob-Park, supporting his local side
Memories came flooding back for Emery when he walked through the doors here on Wednesday, this being the place he completed a treble of Europa League wins with Sevilla; the 3-1 dismantling of Liverpool in May 2016 remains of his finest nights as a manager.
‘But I am always looking to the future,’ he insisted and the ambition to land the competition with a third team – and his fifth in total – burns as brightly as the red flares that lit up the enclosure behind one of the goals that housed Basel’s ultras.
Yet Villa have been in the kind of eye-catching groove that makes everyone sit up and take them seriously, enabling grandiose dreams to take flight and Emery, rightly, knows this is a trophy they can capture.
‘We can’t stop,’ he warned. ‘The Europa League is very important for us, to be favourites, it depends if we are playing consistency, getting in the top eight.’ There are other teams progressively getting better. This competition is very difficult.’
Villa have been in the kind of eye-catching groove that makes everyone sit up and take them seriously, 13 wins from the last 15 – capped by the flattening of Arsenal – enabling grandiose dreams to take flight and Emery, rightly, knows this is a trophy they can capture.
He made eight changes to Saturday’s conquerors and that gives further credence to Villa’s potential. You won’t always get fluent play when the personnel is altered so significantly but this was a starting line-up packed with experience, power and promise.
The back four of Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Viktor Lindelof and Lucas Digne have been playing at the top level for years, the attacking four of Evann Guessand, Emi Buendia, Jadon Sanco and Donyell Malen give plenty of options and excitement. So, yes: this squad has it within them to go places.
A problem here, however, was the fact it almost seemed too easy for them. Emery, as always, paced around with the anxiety of someone who had put their Christmas kitty on a short-priced favourite at Cheltenham, wincing at every perceived misstep.
But his players were in their comfort zone; they had taken care of Young Boys, who are a point below Basel in the Swiss Super League, two weeks earlier – the final score of 2-1 didn’t reflect their dominance – and it wasn’t unreasonable to expect them to do the same now.
When Guessand managed to squeeze in the opening goal on 17 minutes, poking a right-foot effort into the corner after Basel failed to clear their lines, it felt everything was going to plan. Emery, suddenly, had the smile of a man who had seen the favourite oblige.
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Youri Tielemans added a second for Unai Emery’s men on another victorious night
Emery returned to the scene of his 2016 dismantling of Liverpool as Sevilla boss
Flavius Daniliuc of Basel celebrates scoring to make it 1-1 before Villa netted the winner
Complacency, though, can do funny things in football games. A little drop in the tempo or a clearance not made and, suddenly, the atmosphere changes.
Basel gave a warning that they shouldn’t be underestimated when Dominik Schmid had a goal disallowed by VAR but it wasn’t heeded.
In the 27th minute, Villa defended passively, Xherdan Shaqiri – that little box of tricks – clipped in a beautiful free-kick and Flavius Daniliuc nipped in ahead of the hesitant goalkeeper Marco Bizot and turned in an equaliser. Emery, again, was volcanic.
The beauty of having such a deep squad, however, is the fact he can introduce a player of Tielemans’s quality to make a difference.
The Belgian feels he is in the best form of his career at the moment, thriving with responsibility, and the confidence is flooding through him.
When the ball dropped to him in the 52nd minute, there wasn’t a doubt about what would happen: Buendia’s lay off was perfect and Tielemans never had to break his stride to dispatch the winner, the difference to Federer being he was delighted to see the ball hit the net.
Game, set, match: Villa.
