View: Robin Olsen Aston Villa call should be no-brainer for Unai Emery
Aston Villa fans are currently loving life under Unai Emery with three Premier League wins in four matches to kickstart his tenure in the West Midlands.
The victories have come against some of the more impressive teams in the league, with Tottenham, Manchester United and Brighton all succumbing to the Villans. The only defeat has come against Liverpool, and it was refreshing to see Villa bounce back with a victory against Spurs.
Under Steven Gerrard, one defeat could have been easily followed by a string of draws and defeats. Now, it appears the squad have a bit more about them in terms of mental strength.
One big decision for Emery to consider is whether to stick with Robin Olsen in goal, with Emiliano Martinez returning from the World Cup. Much has been made of Martinez’s antics for Argentina, but there can be no doubting his goalkeeping ability.
The Spaniard has recently suggested that it will be a difficult decision to choose between the two goalkeepers when Martinez is back in contention (Birmingham Live, 1 January). However, it shouldn’t be a hard call for Emery.
Olsen, 32, deserves credit for his performances against Spurs and Liverpool, but the clean sheet in North London was largely down to an impressive defensive performance from the team as a whole. As per Wyscout, Tottenham managed an overall expected goals of 0.42, which indicates they weren’t much of an attacking threat and that Villa were superb defensively.
It’s clear the Swede didn’t have too much to do, with the 32-year-old only being forced into two saves during the Premier League clash. He didn’t have a bad game by any means, but it’s hard to argue Olsen did anything to merit retaining his place ahead of Martinez. Against Liverpool, Olsen again performed to an average standard statistically, despite Jurgen Klopp’s side scoring three goals. They had an expected goals of just over three, and the Villa keeper failed to prevent them from scoring less than what was anticipated.
Furthermore, in his previous outing, he was part of the Villa side which was demolished 4-0 by Newcastle United. When comparing Olsen to Martinez, it should be a no-brainer for Emery. Olsen is conceding nearly two goals a game in the small sample of Premier League games he’s been involved in. Martinez has been involved in pretty much the whole season for Villa and has only conceded just over one goal a game.
Emery’s side have been excellent in recent weeks and Olsen has filled in well, but should they let their defensive strength slip at some point, having Martinez back in between the sticks is an absolute must for Emery. The Argentine has proven himself to be a World class keeper and he could be the difference when Villa encounter trickier runs of form and fixtures.
This should be an easy decision for Emery to make.
In other Aston Villa news, Gerrard was forced to endure the bus journey home after he was fired.