Sam Stone

Wed 24 August 2022 16:27, UK

Aston Villa host West Ham United this weekend and Matty Cash’s battle against Said Benrahma could be vital in determining the outcome of the Premier League clash.

Villa head into the fixture looking to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The Hammers head to Villa Park in miserable form with David Moyes’ side still looking for their first league points of the season.

One bright spark for West Ham has been Benrahma, who has started the season in good form after speculation grew over his future in the summer.

The Algerian is undoubtedly a player for Steven Gerrard to be concerned about with his excellent dribbling ability and direct running potentially a good match against Matty Cash.

Below is an example of how the 27-year-old thrives in wide areas, particularly on the left, and displays how his unpredictable dribbling could hurt Villa.

Benrahma latches onto a loose pass on the left flank and immediately drives at the Brighton right-back.

As the diagram below displays, the Brighton full-back is unsure on which way to commit with Benrahma capable of going on the outside and the inside.

On this occasion, the Algerian decides to cut in and take a shot which goes narrowly past Robert Sanchez’ post. Ultimately, this chance has come from Benrahma being allowed space out wide, with the opposition team running back towards their own goal.

The 27-year-old also possesses excellent close dribbling ability, which could cause Villa plenty of problems. Although West Ham have endured a tough start to the season, Benrahma’s ability to drive his side up the pitch and out of pressure has certainly caught the eye.

Below, the West Ham attacker picks the ball up under the pressure of two Brighton defenders.

His close dribbling allows him to avoid being tackled and instead he drives forward, this time on the outside of the defender.

As previously mentioned, the opposition player is reluctant to close the Algerian down in fear of Benrahma cutting inside. However, on this occasion, he opts to use his pace to drive down the line and put in a cross for Michail Antonio.

Cash’s performance against Palace could be a worry for Gerrard, particularly as he is coming up against Benrahma.

The Poland international was caught out of position for two of Palace’s three goals and he could well be exposed again this weekend if he isn’t more astute.

Below is Palace’s first goal, where an aimless long ball is played across the pitch initially.

Cash hasn’t recovered quick enough after Villa’s attack and allows Wilfried Zaha to move in front of him. At this point, the Villa man either takes him down or accepts that he isn’t going to catch the Palace attacker.

The Aston Villa full-back’s failure to recover quickly ultimately allows Zaha a one-on-one, which he inevitably tucks home with ease.

The story was similar for the Villa right back for Crystal Palace’s third goal in the second half. The image below shows the Poland international leaving a large space in behind himself. He commits to tacking the Palace player.

Tyrick Mitchell plays a one-two with Zaha and exploits the space that Cash has recklessly left behind him.

The Palace left-back then delivers a first-time cross which is finished expertly by Jean-Philippe Mateta in the penalty area.

If Cash leaves the same amount of space in behind him when up against Benrahma on Sunday (28 August), the Villa man could be in for another long afternoon.

It is crucial that when he does get forward, he is quick to realise an attack break down and recover quickly to prevent Benrahma from exploiting any space in behind.

In other Aston Villa news, Patrick Vieira openly explained how he set his Crystal Palace side up to beat the Villans on Saturday.