Unai Emery decision nearly cost Aston Villa dearly in 1-1 draw v West Ham United
Aston Villa battled their way to a well-earned point against West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday. However, one decision from Unai Emery was completely baffling.
Midway through the second half, the Spaniard opted to replace Alex Moreno with Lucas Digne, which saw the game swing in the hosts’ favour. David Moyes’ side grew into the latter stages, with the Villans happy to soak up the pressure.
Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa were imperious at the centre of defence and were more than happy to clear and block the endless stream of crosses and shots. The Hammers grew into the game as soon as Moreno was taken off and it’s easy to see why.
Villa were a consistent threat in the first half and that was largely down to the 29-year-old being their most effective attacking outlet.
Moreno managed more key passes than any other Villa player during his 60-minute cameo and also registered an assist with an outstanding cross for Ollie Watkins to nod home (Whoscored). Thilo Kehrer was operating in the right-back role for the home side and was lost at sea in the first period.
Kehrer is a German international, but even he couldn’t get near the Spaniard. Importantly, his presence and positivity pushed the home side back. It meant Jarrod Bowen was forced to defend when, realistically, he would rather be pointing in the other direction.
Moreno’s quality delivery also meant Watkins was a consistent threat for West Ham’s central defensive partnership to deal with. Furthermore, his attacking prowess was also displayed with his four completed dribbles, which was more than any other player on the pitch.
Digne’s attacking performance also proves the call to replace Moreno was a baffling one, unless he was injured. The Frenchman didn’t get forward as much as Moreno during his substitute appearance and was clearly introduced to sure things up defensively.
His introduction allowed Bowen to relinquish his defensive duties and focus solely on trying to find a vital winner for the hosts.
As the graphic above shows, Moreno is a much better-attacking outlet. He’s managed more assists, a higher number of shots per game, more key passes and more dribbles.
Emery will be pleased with the point against West Ham, but this is a move which could have backfired badly if the home side had found a decisive winner. This was a game which was there for the taking and perhaps a bolder approach is required from the Spaniard.
Villa aren’t going down this season and have very little to play for. Rolling the dice and keeping players like Moreno on the pitch is a must if a similar situation arises between now and the end of the season.
In other Aston Villa news, the future of this loanee hangs in the balance as contract talks await.