Emi Buendia still has much to prove to Unai Emery ahead of Aston Villa clash v Manchester United
Many Aston Villa fans could argue that Unai Emery should axe Emiliano Buendia against Manchester United on Sunday [30 April], but the Spaniard seems likely to stick with him.
The Villains visit Old Trafford and with the chance of qualifying for Europe still up for grabs, Emery will be demanding his impressive team to treat every contest as a must-win game.
The 1-0 win against Fulham on Tuesday [25 April] meant Aston Villa have now picked up the most wins (13) and the second-most points (42) of any Premier League side since Emery’s arrival in November – where they sat just a few points from the bottom.
However, despite the result, the Spaniard will not have been happy with the performances of some of his key stars and arguably the most concerning to emerge from the game was from Buendia.
Indeed, Buendia has shone considerably in the Villa team, especially with the likes of Leon Bailey struggling for attacking consistency and Philippe Coutinho still yet to stake his claim in Emery’s depleted attacking department.
However, against Fulham, the Argentinian maestro was awful, picking up the worst average rating of any player to feature at Aston Villa Park on Tuesday at a dreadful 5.6/10, winning just five of his 20 duels and losing possession 15 times [SofaScore].
While the likes of John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey recorded six key passes between them, Buendia only managed just the one all-game in a lacklustre and uncharacteristic showing from the former Norwich City man.
In terms of his final third influence this season, the 26-year-old playmaker has grabbed all the headlines and the stats have proved as much. Buendia currently ranks second in the Villa team for key passes (37), second for shot-creating actions (79), and third for goal-creating actions (10), as per FBRef, showcasing his tremendous exploits when trying to create chances for his teammates.
He also ranks in the 90th percentile of attacking midfielders in Europe’s top-five leagues for through balls per 90 [FBRef], and in fact provides considerably more of those than any of his Villa teammates [WhoScored], proving just how crucial he is and will continue to be in the final third but his performance against Fulham could have lasting repercussions.
It’s no secret that the West Midlands outfit will be on the hunt for more attacking weapons this summer which could well leave Buendia rather insecure about his long-term starting spot at Villa Park.
Emery looks set to be backed by owners NSWE ahead of his first full season in charge in the Midlands with reports suggesting that the manager will be handed a “huge” budget this summer which means the likes of Buendia can ill-afford to be rather comfortable in their skins as we approach the end of the campaign.
Such a performance as he showed against the cottagers won’t be accepted under Emery’s stewardship for the foreseeable future and if Buendia feels he still remains one of the leading Aston Villa final third magicians both for the here and in future, he still has much to prove and there may well be no better platform to kick things off again than at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Emery loves consistency, especially from his attacking outlets – something he will be desperate for in the summer window – and given the crucially vital position Buendia loves to deploy within the Aston Villa system, it’s up to him to prove he’s well up to the task. The ball is very much in his court.
In other Aston Villa news, a Villa sensation could miss up to nine months of action and faces the threat of a potential ACL tear as well.