On Wednesday evening, Aston shook hands with Villa Bayern Munich their first defeat of the campaign with a 1-0 win over Villa Park on matchday two of the Champions League.

Although Der Rekordmeister would see themselves dominate the ball for most of the match, they were unable to test Emiliano Martínez in goal until it was far too late.

After the final whistle Vincent Kompany explained that he believed Bayern’s high possession in Villa’s half gave his side control of the tie.

For Unai Emery and Villa, however, this was exactly what they hoped to see over the course of the match.

With Ollie Watkins and then Jhon Durán leading the way, the Premier League team always looked a threat on the counter-attack, while at the same time looking comfortable, preventing the record champions from getting on target.

And as long as they were a threat, there was always the danger that they would overwhelm Bayern, and more specifically: as revealed by Emery after the matchcatch Manuel Neuer off guard.

“During the analysis we talked a lot about Neuer’s generally very high positioning. I knew he would shoot because he had this possibility with Neuer in mind.

The Colombian’s remarkable result was heavily analyzed by experts, but it is clear that it was planned all along, with Emery understanding every detail of how Bayern would play not only as a team, but also as individuals.

Although Kompany has had a positive start in charge at the Allianz Arena, going forward there will be an expectation on the Belgian that he can showcase the tactical talent of a head coach like Emery to come out on top. challenging games.

GGFN | Will Winkelland