John McGinn admits Aston Villa ‘aren’t clicking’ but is ‘delighted’ with win over Southampton

Aston Villa captain John McGinn admitted that Aston Villa are still struggling to click after Friday night’s 1-0 win over Southampton. 

Steven Gerrard’s men recorded only their second win of the season after Jacob Ramsey’s first-half goal saw them take home all three points in a game that was more about the result than the nature of the performance. 

After the match, the Scottish star praised his side’s gritty display but admitted it wasn’t a classic for those watching on TV.  

John McGinn admits Villa’s display over Southampton wasn’t pretty but was happy with the win

Jacob Ramsey’s first-half goal was enough to seal the win for Steven Gerrard’s men at Villa Park

‘It’s huge and we have been criticised this season for no grafting and no fighting, giving away cheap points but tonight we fought for every ball and we know we can better but it is a huge three points and we feel good,’ he said.

‘If I was watching the tele I would have turned it off but we did well to manage the performance. We graft week in week out and it’s a waste if we don’t deliver it at the weekend. 

‘As a team you either go into your shell or puff your chest out, I’m delighted for players who have gone out there and proved people wrong.’

The win eases the pressure on Gerrard, who had started to feel the heat following Villa’s stuttering start to the season, and midfielder McGinn admitted the team aren’t quite clicking yet. 

‘We can’t say it was down to rust, it’s only been a week off…we haven’t been in great form,’ the Scot added. 

‘We aren’t clicking and aren’t creating enough chances but tonight once we got the goal it was about staying strong.

The Aston Villa skipper says that his side haven’t been clicking under Steven Gerrard so far 

‘Every team in this league will create chances and we limited to Southampton to very few. It’s a huge win going into the international break and we need to build on this.’

McGinn’s take on the game was echoed by Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher in their post-match analysis. 

Carragher, who was on co-commentary for the match, felt it was a big victory for his former Liverpool team-mate Gerrard, but is glad he wouldn’t have to watch the game again.  

‘All season on Sky Sports we have said it’s only live once, thank god,’ Carragher said.

‘That was a tough watch. Listen it is a huge result for Steven Gerrard and Aston Villa. I felt the second half would be like that for Villa, it’s hard to get the second or third goal when there is a lack of confidence. The fact that Southampton were so poor they were never really in any trouble.

Both Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville were critical of the game and Villa’s performance 

‘It’s very difficult to go from how they played against Man City to taking a team apart. It was a good performance against City because of the opposition. 

‘They defended really well but it was always going to be a different type of performance. Stevie couldn’t continue to pick a team like that and you see it when you play games at home. You need to build the confidence. Then you will see more results where Aston Villa score more goals.’ 

His Sky Sports colleague Neville agreed as he warned Villa’s players that Gerrard will want to see his side improve despite the win.

‘They [both teams] were well below par, Southampton were really before but Villa didn’t have the confidence to take Southampton apart,’ Neville said. ‘Steven Gerrard will say he is happy with the three points but he will want better performances. He will say well done but we know we can do better.’