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Aston Villa get ideal midweek as Bertrand Traore bags in friendly win
Aston Villa got exactly what they’ll have wanted in midweek as Bertrand Traore scored to help the team to a 3-1 friendly win over West Bromwich Albion.
Aston Villa reportedly played a friendly against West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday afternoon. Villa won the game 3-1, thanks to goals from Neil Taylor, Bertrand Traore and Keinan Davis.
Charlie Austin got one back for the Baggies.
And that is just about as good as it could have gone for Villa this week. Traore scoring could be the exact kickstart he needs to help the team kick on even further.
Summer signing
to bring Traore in from Lyon this summer. The 25-year-old hasn’t started a Premier League game yet, though, with his only starts coming in the League Cup.
Instead, Dean Smith has only used him off the bench for a combined 42 minutes in four substitute appearances. Traore isn’t one for the right-now, then.
A goal against Premier League opposition is exactly what Villa will have wanted, though. It’s a confidence boost for everyone involved, really, with Traore showing he can do it and Villa knowing they’ve got a player who can get a goal against a top-flight defence.
These were two strong sides for the friendly, after all, says that Birmingham Live report.
Thus far, Villa’s attack has been through Jack Grealish, Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins. That trio accounts for three-quarters of the team’s 12 goals this season.
All three have one thing in similar, though – they attack centrally. Barkley plays attacking midfield, Watkins leads the line, and Grealish looks to drift from the left. It could make the team a little predictable in the long run.
What they need, then, is someone with pace to offer width and goals from the wing. Traore can be that player and that’s surely why they paid £17m for him.
His goal against West Brom suggests he might be finding his feet, too. Hopefully, Villa can begin to introduce him into games more over the coming weeks and make an already successful attack even more deadly.