Anthony Onifade

Wed 8 March 2023 16:23, UK

Aston Villa have been dealt a major blow to their faint European aspirations as midfielder Boubacar Kamara could miss their next five Premier League games after picking up an ankle injury, according to the Mirror.

The French international had to be helped off in the second half of Villa’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday after a dreadful challenge from Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure.

And according to the Mirror [8 March, page 58], Kamara is now unlikely to return before 8 April – potentially ruling him out of their next five games.

It is a huge and damaging blow for Emery and his Villa team as they aim for a top-half Premier League finish.

The former Marseille man has enjoyed a superb start to his Villa career, especially under the stewardship of Emery, forming a strong base at the heart of the Villa midfield alongside Douglas Luiz, for which the duo have received glittering praise for their efficient and dynamic partnership.

“Luiz and Kamara is a good combination,” Emery beamed [BirminghamLive, 2 January] following his side’s impressive 2-0 away win over Tottenham Hotspur in North London. “They are understanding better step by step.

“To mix both of them is fantastic. Their performance today was fantastic to help us to win.”

Kamara’s played in every Premier League game under Emery and has started 11 of 12 games and has become the player who makes Villa a tougher outfit to break down but also offers the technical brilliance to make Emery’s passing approach work.

The Frenchman mixes technical excellence, composure in possession and terrific aggression and tenacity off the ball to allow the Villans to become efficient without the ball as they have been on it since Emery’s arrival.

In the top flight, the 23-year-old has averaged a rating of 6.84 [SofaScore] across 19 appearances and made 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game – winning 54% of his duels in the middle of the park.

The Marseille-born ace’s 2.5 tackles per match are unmatched within the Villa squad with that emphasising how important the Frenchman has been to the side from a defensive perspective this season, consistently breaking up opposition attacks by winning the ball back for the team.

Kamara ranks third in the Villa team for tackles and interceptions [FBref], fifth for tackles won, third for tackles won in the middle-third and more crucially, no Villa player has made more tackles than him this season (47) and he has a habit of intercepting the ball at crucial times.

Not only is the 23-year-old an effective presence without the ball, but hugely influential on it. He’s a key component when Villa progress the play from the back, regularly taking up crucial positions in front of his defence to pick the ball up and move Villa up the pitch.

He ranks fourth within Emery’s squad for progressive carries [FBref], second for progressive passes, fifth for passes into the final third and third for completed short passes.

Kamara has so regularly proven a metronomic figure for the team and Emery and this follows on from his impressive underlying stats in France last season, ranking among the top players in France for possessions won in the middle third, for passes completed in the opposition half and for through-balls.

At a time when Villa were building, getting used to a new playing style, and edging closer not only to the top half of the table but also towards the final European spot in seventh, losing a key player like Kamara is huge. Just who can replace the 23-year-old in his absence?

In other Aston Villa news, the club has been tipped to sign a new striker to aid their bid to return to European football.