The fact that a team strolls onto a football pitch, gives their all and even end up winning does not mean that any player slacking would be forgiven and overlooked because the rest of the team were still able to come out on top and win the game.
Yesterday, Aston Villa put in one of the most memorable nights in the English League Cup and were able to overcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to advance into the next round yet Villa fans still dragged the team’s name on Twitter on route to singling out one particularly player everyone unanimously agreed was dreadful last night: Neil Taylor.
League Cups such as the EFL and just about every other tiny tournaments football FAs set up for the sole purpose of milking what is left of first team squad and of course, the ever-juicy TV revenues normally serve as an avenue to give players who must have been feeling left out, a chance and youngster who sit on the bench and watch the senior players, a start.
Aston Villa’s coach Dean Smith handed Taylor his first start and although the left back made promising runs early on that made the fans almost as hopeful as Liverpool fans whenever Robertson is on the ball, the delivery of every one of such runs were downright dreadful.
Just like how kindergarten kids use pencils, crayons and just about any writing tool that can easily be corrected while they are forced to used biros and at times, permanent marker to teach them how unforgiving the real world is to adults, it would have been “just a bad night” for Neil Taylor.
Alas, he can’t really pass for the “he is still growing, he will get there” treatment from both fans and even the coach.
He started the first 6 fixtures of Aston Villa in the Premier League before his dreadful returns forced the coach to return him to the bench.
Last night’s performance makes it harder for the coach to have a re-think.