Dan Carter

Tue 14 November 2023 13:10, UK

Unai Emery seems to be going from strength to strength at Aston Villa this season, with his side heading into the November international break fifth in the Premier League.

Villa moved within a point of the Champions League places with their 3-1 win over Fulham on Sunday (12 November) to ensure that the mood around Villa Park and the supporters has remained incredibly positive.

One decision that has led to some criticism however, has been the continued decision by Emery to keep Leon Bailey rooted to the Aston Villa bench, especially considering the Jamaican international’s excellent start to the campaign.

According to WhoScored.com (14 November), no player in the Premier League has managed to score or assist more often per 90 minutes played than Bailey this season, with the winger averaging an involvement 1.58 times per 90 minutes.

The 26-year-old has scored three and assisted three times in 10 Premier League outings, but has only started two of those games and played a total of 342 minutes, meaning he only plays an average of 34.2 minutes a match [Fotmob].

Bailey surely has to be involved more often in the league, given his impressive exploits so far this campaign, especially after he had such a positive impact on Aston Villa’s clash with Fulham on Sunday.

In the 10 passes he completed at Villa Park, the Jamaican created two chances with one of those being classed as a “big” opportunity. That was one more than the man he replaced with 62 minutes on the clock, as Moussa Diaby only created one chance in an hour’s play.

Defensively, Bailey worked hard out of possession, winning two out of his three ground duels and even managed two interceptions and two ball recoveries as Aston Villa ultimately strolled to all three points.

This excellent creative form is by no means a new aspect of Bailey’s game either, as he has placed in the top two per cent of forwards in Europe’s top five leagues for expected assisted goals per 90 minutes played over the last year [Fbref].

Bailey is in the top one per cent of forwards for crosses into the penalty area per match and given Ollie Watkins’ excellent form in front of goal this season, this added element of creativity would be a huge boost to Emery’s side.

When deployed in a wider role as a winger, few players have been as effective in front of goal, with the 26-year-old placing in the 87th percentile for non-penalty xG per game, even if he underperformed that rate in some way.

It’s hard to see what more the Jamaican international needs to do to earn a start in the Premier League, but should he have a strong international break, Emery is going to have to consider starting him against Tottenham.

In other Aston Villa news, Lucas Digne could be facing the axe after he failed to attempt a single cross against Fulham