At the third time of asking this time round, Villa finally banked their first point. And this summer was clearly far more turbulent than almost any other in recent memory.

The game played out as one might have expected. A promoted side with a defensive orientation sat low, content to let a reconstituted Villa dither round the edges while looking to hit on the counter or via set pieces. And Villa squandered a handful of good chances before Hull tried to steal it at the end. Emi Buendia and John McGinn will probably be thinking about how they could’ve opened Villa’s account, but it was just that kind of day, in the end.

From Emery’s evident frustration on the touchline to every supporter’s and pundit’s takes, Villa simply weren’t quick or bold enough. There were chances and some tidy passages, but for too long Villa just passed around the perimeter with several players handing responsibility to someone else to make something happen.

That said, Villa were also fairly sound and executed Emery’s system, albeit without the required urgency. Villa seemed a bit timid as the pressure again was no doubt rising in their minds but now minus more than half the Europa League final side. That was a fair amount of composure and experience that walked out the door.

For me, the biggest issue (which I pointed out to no one in particular but later had seconded for me by Lee Dixon) was that Ross Barkley seemed unwilling to force the issue despite seeing so much of the ball. Kamara will have the occasional perfect ball in him, but he’s the scrapper and you’d look to Barkley to be the creative one of the pair. Ross wasn’t alone, though, and several willing runners were overlooked by Cash and others. As I noted at the time, it was a game crying out for Youri. Ross seemed much more dynamic against Arsenal, but they also try to play football so there was more space to run into.

And that’s mainly what stuck with me, a frustrated Emery mocking his own bench’s inability to show urgency, and a side that seemed more interested in not losing.

Given we never usually know what the instructions are it’s hard to know just what goes on sometimes. For example, in his post-match comments Emery referenced being careful with counters and managing that element and I got the distinct impression watching it play out that Villa really didn’t want to turn the ball over with everyone up the pitch. Hull’s best chances toward the end of the game were all from counters that could well have won it. But it’s probably the case the players were more careful than Emery wanted and passed up lower-risk options too often.

Hence the labored feel. We know that with a lot of big bodies in the way, it can be tough to find a way through and there was never the moment of individual magic that’s often the difference. The game needed Villa to take the lead if it was ever going to open up. Alas. Low-block struggles continue, and it comes down to not taking advantage of the rare open passages.

The other bit was Villa’s reluctance to try and play over the top. Suzuki looks to have a remarkable range of passing, but he wasn’t trying to pick out runners much at all. There were a few failed attempts from others, and as the pitch inevitably shrinks against a low-block side, there’s precious little room to run into. And with Villa’s lack of aerial presence, McGinn or Cash trying to rainbow balls in from 30 yards was again perhaps the kind of thing that leads to a clearing header that bypasses most of the side and sends them off to the races.

So, while it was a very tough watch that likely will draw more concern and criticism, it was also a disciplined approach from Villa. That obviously added up to nothing in the net and me yelling at a couple players, but it did keep a clean sheet and stop the rot to a certain extent. Does Gomes exert greater influence if he’s available? Will Manzambi drive and make things happen? We still don’t know what the side will really look like.

And now, of course, we’ll see if Europe once again helps kick-start the league campaign.