John McGinn says he noticed something strange about the Aston Villa fans when he was warming up vs Bologna

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John McGinn played a key role in Aston Villa’s midweek win against Bologna, but he was more interested in something strange he noticed about the fans.

Aston Villa have had a torrid start to the 2025-26 campaign, with their first victory of the season being a 1-0 win against Bologna.

Unai Emery’s side have only scored once in their opening five Premier League fixtures, and the club are currently 18th in the table.

To add to their misery, they have also been knocked out of the EFL Cup this season, and fans have had little to get excited about.

John McGinn felt the Aston Villa fans were flat before kick-off

The fan frustration appeared to boil over this week ahead of Aston Villa’s game against Bologna, and even the players have begun to notice it.

Even though they eventually won, McGinn told Aston Villa’s YouTube channel that he noticed the atmosphere wasn’t at its usual standard before the game.

“When we were warming up, it didn’t feel like a European game. It was a wee bit flat, which you can understand because we’ve been a bit cr*p to start the season.

“It was flat, so I said let’s win our tackles early and get the crowd on side. We played exciting football, a lot better and hopefully that’s a sign of what’s to come on Sunday.”

Fortunately, McGinn gave the supporters something to cheer about when he found the back of the net in the 13th minute, which would prove to be the match-winner.

Aston Villa’s squad have been getting called out by pundits

Aston Villa’s poor start to the season has obviously impacted the mood among supporters, but it has also been discussed by pundits, who have been calling out specific players.

Ollie Watkins has taken criticism this season, with Paul Scholes claiming that the striker is “not quite right” at the moment.

Ian Wright echoed that sentiment, claiming that Watkins should be “doing more” for his team.

Meanwhile, Martin Keown called out Morgan Rogers for his performance against Bologna because he gave the ball away many times.

With so many players not firing on all cylinders, it’s no surprise that Aston Villa have had a slow start to the new campaign, and with off the field changes also taking place, it’s set to be an interesting season for the club.