Harvey Elliott learning curve grows as Aston Villa’s winless run drags on
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Image Credits: Imago ImagesHarvey Elliott’s early days at Aston Villa test his adaptation as the team’s winless Premier League run continues
Aston Villa’s Premier League start has been hard to watch for anyone with Liverpool links.
Harvey Elliott, who left Anfield on deadline day for a season-long loan, is still looking for his first league start.
Villa sit 18th after five games and have yet to win.
It is a big change from the Liverpool set-up he knows.
Elliott is used to a side that controls games and moves the ball quickly.
At Villa he is coming into a team searching for its identity.
The 22-year-old has shown flashes of his talent, even scoring in the Carabao Cup against Brentford.
But he is still finding his place in a system that is not yet settled.
Thursday brings a Europa League group opener against Bologna and then Fulham in the league.
For Liverpool fans, it is a different test of patience, watching one of their own adapt to a new style while his team struggles for results.
Unai Emery made it clear after the 1-1 draw with Sunderland that Elliott has more to learn.
He explained to TalkSPORT, “Harvey, he had one chance to score, but he has to understand our identity better as well.”
“He has to (make) more passes before doing the last pass, the last assist.”
“This is one way he has to learn.”
Elliott had come on for a 32-minute cameo and missed a chance from the edge of the box after Sunderland’s equaliser.
Emery also spoke about the bigger picture.
He said, “We were not controlling the game even at 1-1 in the last ten minutes.
We were not controlling the game and they could have taken one transition and scored one goal and I was literally worried.”
“The most important thing now is to build a team and to build a structure tactically with our idea, our identity and then try to get confidence in the players through it.”
“Some players I am watching.
Sometimes we are playing individually.”
“We need to adapt in our style how we want to play and through it we were taking experiences here being successful and again, of course, this is the way I want.”
“It’s one point keep going?
Now we are starting (in) Europe on Thursday.”
“We are going to play at home two matches now and hopefully we can feel better at home.”
“And of course we have to react in the Premier League because it’s the first competition where we have to try to achieve our objective and should be through how we create and how we want to build a team with our identity.”
For Liverpool supporters, the message is clear.
Elliott’s minutes will come, but only if he learns the Villa way while the club fights to climb the table.
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