Unai Emery baffles BBC pundit with two ‘strange’ decisions at Aston Villa
We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park…
Alan Hutton is struggling to understand Unai Emery’s decision-making when he names his Aston Villa bench in the Premier League.
Not only is Emery consistently naming two substitute goalkeepers in Robin Olsen and Viljami Sinisalo, but he’s also only named eight of the possible nine subs in the last two matches.
Villa’s manager used all five of the available substitutes in the 1-1 draw at West Ham on Sunday (12 March), meaning the only subs he didn’t use were the two aforementioned goalkeepers and defender Diego Carlos.
Hutton believes it could be due to the current injury issues at Villa Park but due to the fact that there are young players available, he’s struggling to think of a nailed-on reason for Emery’s squad selection.
“I’m sure there’s a reason but whether or not Emery tells us, that’s another story,” Hutton told Villa News.
“It could be down to injuries or something like that which led to the decision.
“Maybe if he had a full, healthy squad then it’ll be different.
“It’s a bit of a strange one though – the two goalkeepers on the bench is also a strange one.”
Despite Emery’s head-scratching subs decision, the Spaniard has led Aston Villa to two wins and a draw in their last three Premier League matches, arresting a slump that saw them lose three in a row before that.
Next up for the Villans is a clash against Bournemouth at Villa Park on Saturday, 18 March.
After that, it’s a two-week wait for a trip to Chelsea on 1 April due to the international break.
In other Aston Villa news, a “silly offer” could lead to Ollie Watkins quitting Villa Park in the summer.