Matty Cash injury for Poland will leave Aston Villa manager Unai Emery sweating over his fitness
Aston Villa look to have been dealt a bitter blow after right-back Matty Cash was forced off in the 9th minute of Poland’s 3-1 loss to the Czech Republic on Friday (24 March).
The 25-year-old was substituted in the opening stages of his nation’s first EURO 2024 qualifier, which had started off disastrously when falling two goals behind after just three minutes.
It is unclear what the extent of Cash’s injury is, but either way, Emery will be sweating over the fitness of his influential full-back ahead of the pivotal Premier League match against Chelsea on Saturday 1, April.
After struggling to initially force his way into Emery’s plans following the Qatar World Cup, mainly down to the impeccable form of Ashley Young, Cash has come into his own in Emery’s new system in recent weeks.
After registering a clean sheet and an assist against Crystal Palace, the right-back produced strong displays in the 2-0 win over Everton and the 3-0 defeat of Bournemouth last Saturday (18 March).
During these three clean sheets, Cash registered a team-high total of 17 tackles as well as making 12 clearances, proving his importance to Emery’s defensive set-up.
However, against both the Eagles and Bournemouth, his dribbling ability and attacking ambition in the final third was also brought to the fore.
Last weekend at Villa Park, the Polish international completed three dribbles during his 90-minute display, a number that he matched against Palace two weeks earlier – but possibly more importantly, a number that replacement right-back Ashley Young has failed to reach all season long. [WhoScored]
Although the Villa stalwart has received glowing reviews from large portions of the media for his rearguard action this term, Young has struggled to involve himself in attacking play, usually sitting back in a low block and allowing either Alex Moreno or Lucas Diane to bomb down the left flank.
Over the course of his 1275 minutes of Premier League action, Young has registered a total of just five dribbles, compared to Cash’s 15 successful dribbles.
The former Nottingham Forest man dictates the attacking shape that Villa play with due to his abnormal high starting position – so Emery will have to alter his whole game plan if this injury is deemed serious enough to rule him out of the crunch clash against Chelsea.
In other Aston Villa news, an academy talent is ready for an Unai Emery baptism after what he has done in the Championship.