Gary McAllister felt the scoreline flattered Chelsea after the Blues left Villa Park with a 3-1 victory in the Premier League on Boxing Day.
Aston Villa put up a strong showing against the European champions, especially in the first half, taking the lead through a Reece James own goal.
A pair of penalties from Jorginho and a strike from Romelu Lukaku handed the hosts a defeat to end 2021, but McAllister can see the positives heading into the New Year.
He said: “We’re still in this whirlwind of arriving two months ago, playing seven games and trying to create a style and identity. I thought some of our football first half was exciting.
“Our final pass could have been a bit better, and that’s something we’ll work on continuously. Second half, I thought we started slow and we got punished for allowing Chelsea to create a little bit of momentum.
“Bringing on Lukaku changes the dynamic of the opponent, and I thought we defended too deep. I thought we should have cleared our box before the cross comes in for the glancing header.
“Over the 90 minutes, I think 3-1 flatters Chelsea. There’s enough to work on. There was enough over the 90 minutes for us to be encouraged.”
The Scotsman, who took the reins in the absence of head coach Steven Gerrard, and the rest of the coaching staff will have a few extra days to work with the players after the club’s next fixture against Leeds United was postponed.
McAllister feels the squad is in a good place heading into 2022, with the added boost of players like Morgan Sanson making their return from injury against Chelsea.
“What we’ve seen so far is a group of players buying into everything we’re trying to tell them,” he said.
“That’s been a really encouraging thing, the fact that the players are really open to the process.
“Morgan’s had a tough time since arriving here, but I thought he was excellent today. There’s a good squad here. There’s a nice mix of experience and some fantastic young players who’ve come through the ranks. It’s really encouraging.”
