Pep Guardiola in for a hellish night as Unai Emery sticks with Leon Bailey – Aston Villa confirmed XI v Manchester City
Manchester City boss Pepe Guardiola could be in for a hellish evening with Unai Emery sticking with in-form Leon Bailey for Aston Villa this evening.
Villa confirmed their starting XI for the game at Villa Park on Wednesday evening (6 December) with Emery making one change from the side which drew 2-2 against Bournemouth on Sunday (3 December).
Nicolo Zaniolo drops out of the side with Boubacar Kamara returning from suspension. In-form Bailey lines up with Ollie Watkins up front in a decision which could cause City problems.
So far this campaign, Bailey has recorded three goals and four assists in the Premier League, already just one contribution away from matching his tally of last season (four goals, four assists) [Transfermarkt].
In Villa’s last eight games in all competitions, he’s bagged two goals and four assists (SofaScore) with a number of those appearances coming from the bench.
Cameo appearances are only small sample sizes when trying to analyse a player’s influence and development in a team but Bailey’s have been mightily consistent.
Against Tottenham in their 2-1 win (26 November), he may not have got on the scoresheet, but he certainly troubled the Tottenham defence, with Bailey having one shot on target and two shots blocked, while he completed three of his four dribble attempts, as per Sofascore.
The attacker was unlucky not to have found the back of the net as he hit the woodwork with an effort in North London, but again he impressed elsewhere with the ball as he registered one key pass and completed his only long ball attempt (100%).
Against Legia Warsaw on 30 November, it was the same story. Bailey played the final 19 minutes and was full of flicks and tricks, turning his opposite number inside out on one occasion to get the Villa fans going.
As per Sofascore, Bailey completed two of his three dribbles (66.67 per cent) – as many as any other player on the field, despite his limited minutes.
What Bailey brings to this Villa side arguably more than any other player is a directness, as reflected in the progressive carries metric.
Across the past 12 months, Bailey ranks in the 98th percentile of all forwards across Europe’s top five leagues in that department [FBref].
Rewarded with his first start in the Premier League since August against Bournemouth – the 4-0 win over Everton (20 August) – Bailey was on the scoresheet yet again but also created one big chance, registered one key pass, completed 50% of his dribbles, 84 per cent of his passes and won four of his ground duels [SofaScore].
For a player who looked a goner just a few months ago, his renaissance and growth since then have been nothing short of sensational and it’s such form which could prove hellish for Manchester City’s back line.
In other Aston Villa, one forgotten player may be losing patience with Unai Emery as his bags could already be packed ahead of a January exit.