Aston Villa fans had a glimpse into the future in the FA Cup defeat to Liverpool. The coronavirus outbreak at Aston Villa forced the first team into self-isolation and the academy products stepped up and put on a fantastic performance. The standout moment came from teenage striker Louie Barry who scored his first senior goal on his senior debut.
His goal capped out a terrific performance which highlighted how bright his future is. He, along with his teammates were terrific on the night against the Premier League champions.
The future looks bright at Aston Villa with youngsters impressing. They have a talented bunch of youngsters and even ones that were not involved, have impressed for the Under 23s. Dean Smith certainly has a beaming smile on his face with the talented youngsters the club are producing.
Louie Barry: The Cream Of Aston Villa’s Talented, Young Crop
Barry Had a Debut to Remember
Villa’s struggles with the pandemic offered a chance for the youngsters to step into the fray. They didn’t disappoint going toe to toe with the champions of England. They were level for an hour until Liverpool killed the contest with three goals in five minutes.
Despite the result, the night belonged to the Villa youngsters. Louie Barry stole the show with a well-taken goal beyond his teenage years. The composure demonstrated was that of a striker in their prime scoring 25 goals a season. His goal capped a terrific performance in which he caused Liverpool’s defence huge problems.
He ran the defence ragged from minute one. His piercing runs beyond gave Villa an outlet going forward. He demonstrated all the qualities of a man who has spent time in the Barcelona academy. Barry is at home with his boyhood club and fans are wax lyrical about his future prospects.
Barry showed all the qualities a number nine needs to be a success. Taking their chances when they come, working hard for the team and bringing teammates into play. A wonderful individual performance which has caught the eye of the senior players and fans alike.
At 17, he is still raw but Dean Smith would off been impressed with that performance. A promotion to the first team at this stage seems unlikely, but take nothing away from him, his future is very bright.
A Promotion to the First Team Is a Distinct Possibility
That performance would have caught the eye of Dean Smith and first-team coaching staff. With Villa potentially interested in bringing in another striker during the transfer window, they may well look closer to home.
Ollie Watkins is comfortably Villa’s first-choice striker but an injury to him leaves Villa light upfront. Keinan Davis is the current backup but his future is uncertain with five Championship sides looking at signing him. Villa of course, will only let him leave if a replacement is lined up.
Villa also have Brazilian striker Wesley but he continues to recover from his serious knee injury sustained against Burnley on New Years Day last year. He is slowly working his way back with the Brazilian finally running on the grass and doing light sessions with a football. However, he is still a while away from coming back.
Louie Barry could be the man to fill the void. He put in a complete performance on his senior debut demonstrating all the attributes required. He is very similar to Ollie Watkins with the type of runs he makes. Barry seems a natural finisher too which is a huge plus. He has six goals for Villa Under 23s this season in just nine appearances.
Barry has very much thrown himself into the picture and certainly he is in Dean Smith’s thinking. With Villa staring at four games in hand, Barry could yet seen some Premier League action between now and the end of the season.
Louie Barry Isn’t the Only Villa Youngster Catching the Eye
Louie Barry may well be the talk of the town but some of Villa’s other teenagers impressed and have already impressed this season. Dean Smith has placed faith in young Villa players with Jacob Ramsey impressing for the first team since his Premier League debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Lamar Bogarde and Ben Chrisene are just two of those youngsters who have caught the eye. Both featured against Liverpool and both impressed. Their reward was their first professional contracts which were announced by the club this week.
Elsewhere, centre back Dominic Revan was the leader of the team on Friday evening. He was terrific on the night and has been a consistent performer for the under 23s. He has been on the bench a few times under Dean Smith so the Villa boss is keeping tabs on him. The fans were also impressed with what they saw from Villa’s captain on the night. With some of Villa’s centre backs potentially leaving this month, Revan can step up to fill the gap having already demonstrated his qualities.
Perhaps the two gems in the Villa camp are two that didn’t play on Friday evening. Described as the most talented 16 year old by Villa Chief Executive Christian Purslow, Carney Chukwuemeka has already caught the attention of the Villa coaching staff. He has trained with the first team a lot this season which highlighted why he wasn’t involved against Liverpool. He is a slick midfielder with an abundance of quality which Dean Smith loves. His future is bright and certainly Villa are thrilled he committed his future to them.
The other gem in Villa’s ranks is talented attacker Jaden Philiogene-Bidace. The talented attacker like Chukwuemeka has trained with the first team on several occasions. He has caught the eye of some of Europe’s big guns and Villa are desperate to ensure his future is at Villa Park. He is a pacey attacker willing to take people on and can score goals.
The Future Is Bright at Aston Villa
Friday evening’s game with Liverpool gave Aston Villa fans a positive glimpse into the future. The academy products impressed and demonstrated the togetherness and hard work ethic instilled at the football club.
Louie Barry has the headlines for his goal and performance but this should take nothing away from all those players who put in a terrific effort.
It’s a great time to support Aston Villa with the senior team doing very well in the Premier League. Seeing the academy products perform so brilliantly against the Premier League has only increased the optimism around the whole football club.
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