Jordan Ayew’s Aston Villa debut

In typical Ayew style, it was Andre Ayew who stole the headlines from his brother Jordan on the Premier League’s opening day.

While the younger of Abedi Pele’s footballing sons secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, the elder made the news internationally, scoring in Swansea City’s impressive 2-2 draw with reigning champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Andre deserves all the praise and attention that he’s getting, but there was evidence too that Jordan can be an effective addition to Aston Villa and a valuable contributor in the Premier League moving forward.

The Villains’ EPL opener was never going to be easy. Admittedly, they were playing one of the three promoted sides, but Bournemouth’s first-ever match in the Premier League was always going to generate a formidable atmosphere at the cosy south-coast stadium.

Bournemouth—for whom Christian Atsu, injured during pre-season, was not involved—are also an established outfit in their own right. They may be in for a tough campaign, but they will surely take points from one or two of the bigger teams in the league at home this season, and claim a few scalps in front of their own supporters.

One of the key questions facing Villa boss Tim Sherwood ahead of the season and the opener was how to replace departed forward Christian Benteke, who left for Liverpool in a £32.5 million deal during the summer.

Jordan—who featured exclusively as a centre-forward for FC Lorient last term—was one viable option, while Rudy Gestede, another new addition, who bagged 22 in the Championship for Blackburn Rovers last term, was another.

In the event, Sherwood opted to leave Gestede on the bench, instead plumping for the pace and endless running of Gabby Agbonlahor through the middle. Jordan started, featuring on the right-hand side in a 4-3-3 formation.

It was a game of two halves, both for Villa as a whole and, specifically, for their forward line.

During the first 45 minutes, Ayew was fairly anonymous. Shorn of Fabian Delph, and with the more functional debutant Idrissa Gueye in the middle of the park, Villa lacked creativity, and Jordan didn’t see much of the ball.

Ultimately, it was Ayew who was replaced by match-winner Gestede. The Benin forward—a £6 million signing—leapt above the Bournemouth defence to head an Ashley Westwood corner past Artur Boruc.

“Benteke? Who?” was the cry!

Before being replaced by the goal-scorer—an understated footnote to an underwhelming debut—Jordan at least showed glimpses of what he will bring to Villa.

While he led the line for Les Merlus last term, he was given licence to both roam and operate more centrally for the Villains during the second period. There were several touches of invention, and a few spurts with the ball of his feet to suggest that this might be an approach Sherwood pursues next season, particularly if Gestede—as his cameo suggested—deserves a starting berth.