Matty Cash cements first-choice spot for Aston Villa after win v Bournemouth in Premier League
Matty Cash has struggled for consistent game time under Unai Emery since his appointment at Aston Villa, but the right-back might have cemented his position in the starting line-up following a faultless display against Bournemouth.
Through no fault of his own, the Polish defender has been in and out of the Villa side all season long, thanks to the strong form of veteran Ashley Young and Emery’s insistence on playing a more defensive-minded full-back.
And despite coming out of the Qatar World Cup with his reputation only improved, Cash has only recently been awarded a run of starts in the claret and blue top.
Against Crystal Palace, he produced a man-of-the-match display, a clean sheet and an assist, and Saturday’s (18 March) encounter was yet another faultless performance from the full-back, further highlighting that he has supplanted Young as Villa’s first-choice right-back.
The 3-0 win over the relegation-threatened Cherries was Aston Villa’s third win in four games and moved the club to within four points of sixth, with goals from Douglas Luiz, Jacob Ramsey and Emi Buendia capping off a fabulous performance at Villa Park.
Although Cash might not have stolen the headlines from the comprehensive victory, his influence, both in attack and defence, was invaluable.
According to stats from WhoScored, the 25-year-old completed a match-high six tackles against tricky winger Jaidon Anthony while also making one interception and three clearances.
His dominance in the one on one bout against Anthony was telling, with the Bournemouth man being hooked from the field by Gary O’Neill just before the hour mark and replaced by Antoine Semenyo.
Despite helping Villa record their seventh clean sheet of the season, and their third in four matches, Cash’s influence wasn’t limited to the defensive third of the pitch.
Alongside the much-improved Leon Bailey, Cash was a constant threat down the right flank, marauding forward whenever possible and completing three dribbles – a stat only bettered by Luiz.
The Polish international also recorded his third-most passes of the season against Bournemouth (48), a statistic which hopefully highlights that Cash is getting to grips with Emery’s demanding style of play when in possession of the ball.
Although Villa’s late surge for European football has been halted by the international break, the right-back will be hoping his own individual momentum won’t be derailed.
Right now, Cash is undroppable and putting to bed the once-tricky selection dilemma against Young.
In other Aston Villa news, the club could climb into the Europa League places if they sign the Premier League midfielder that Emery is “crazy” about.