Steven Gerrard: Emi Buendia will get more Aston Villa opportunities in coming weeks
Steven Gerrard admits Emiliano Buendia has proven that he deserves more opportunities in the Aston Villa starting line-up.
Buendia is yet to complete a full 90 minutes for Aston Villa this season, with Gerrard so far preferring to bring the Argentine playmaker off the bench.
But after a number of impressive substitute cameos, the Villa boss has admitted that Buendia deserves more opportunities in the starting XI at Villa Park.
“[Buendia] will get opportunities in the coming weeks,” said Gerrard, as quoted by Birmingham Mail.
When asked if being the club’s most expensive player has an impact, the Villa boss replied: “Doesn’t guarantee you will start. I will admit in terms of his cameos he is sending a message to me he deserves opportunities from the beginning.
“He has had those, away at Palace and Arsenal and hasn’t had the same level as when he has come on and impacted the game. The challenge for Emi is when that opportunity comes to go from the beginning and have that level of performance across the 90 minutes. That is what we want from him.”
Selecting in-form players
With Villa enduring a tough start to the Premier League season, there’s no room for error in team selection, and Gerrard simply has to choose players that are playing well.
Buendia is arguably one of the few Villa players that have started the campaign brightly, but Gerrard has often sided with starting Philippe Coutinho after the Brazilian completed a permanent move to Villa Park in the summer.
The Brazilian playmaker has often looked like a shadow of himself compared to last season’s success, and Gerrard’s blind loyalty has frustrated the fanbase.
But with Gerrard stating that Buendia is set to be handed opportunities in the coming weeks, it’s up to him to now prove he’s worthy of a place in the lineup.
Goals have been a real issue for Villa this season, with the team scoring just six so far. If Buendia’s introduction has a direct impact on the side scoring more, then Gerrard will have no choice but to drop Coutinho.
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