Aston Villa skipper ‘not happy’ but promises professional response after Bologna win
Aston Villa picked up their first win of the season on Thursday by defeating Bologna in the Europa League.
Villa captain John McGinn scored the only goal of the game, his team’s first of the season at home, and spoke to the media after the match.
Substitute Ollie Watkins won a penalty in the second half but saw his spot kick saved by Bologna goalkeeper Łukasz Skorupski before Santiago Castro’s header rattled the Villa crossbar at the other end. Goalkeeper Marco Bizot made a late save to secure the points.
It wasn’t a vintage performance despite a first crucial win for Villa and McGinn told TNT Sports that he understands the criticism the team have faced and that they need to keep improving.
“It was important to get a win at home,” admitted the Villa captain. “Not our strongest start to the season, especially here. We probably could have made it a little more comfortable in the first half.
“They are a good team; come and play man for man. Really difficult to play against, but we had chances. We missed the penalty, which could have made it a more difficult night. At this stage, we’ll take anything that’s coming.”
McGinn acknowledged Villa’s failings in the early part of the season and said it’s on the players to put it right in the coming games.
“It’s a collective responsibility,” he added. “We’ve not been good enough; it’s as simple as that. As professionals we can take the praise when it comes; we’ve had a lot of praise over the past few seasons, and we’re rightly being criticised at the minute.
‘We need to pick up’
“We know how important the league is, so we’ll recover quickly. We need to pick up in the league; last season we went on a long run without a run, and it was very easy to panic, but there we are professionals.
“We’re not happy with what’s been happening and the results we’re getting. We know we need to turn it round, but there’s quality there, and tonight we showed it. It’s not enough.”
Asked about Watkins’ goalless run and saved penalty, the Scotland international backed the striker and pointed to the immense contribution he’s made in his five years as a Villa player.
“He’s a top-class striker; he’s not in the England squad for nothing,” said the Scottish international.
“He’s shown over the years how good he is. If he’s not scoring, that’s fine. You’ve seen the effort he puts in for the team. We don’t need to put any pressure on him and add to any external noise. He’s been brilliant for us and has got nothing to prove to us.”
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