Unai Emery will be livid as torrid Aston Villa stat emerges from Alex Moreno display v Zrinjski, he must improve for Brentford clash
Aston Villa secured their place in the Europa Conference League last 16 after their 1-1 draw against Zrinjski Mostar but it was an evening to forget for Alex Moreno.
Aston Villa clinched the top spot in Group E and their place in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League with a draw in Bosnia on Thursday night (14 December).
Nicolo Zaniolo’s placed effort from substitute John McGinn’s second-half cross appeared to have given Villa victory.
However, Matija Malekinusic’s curling late effort ensured a nervy finale for the visitors who dominated early on.
Aston Villa secured their last 16 place finishing their group stage journey with four wins and a draw from their six games, finishing a point above Legia Warsaw.
Unai Emery’s side travelled to Bosnia-Herzegovina for what looked like a routine assignment and it was shown as the Spaniard made as many as eight changes for the tie.
However, it was an experiment which proved rather unfruitful as Aston Villa struggled to match their usual fluid heights this season with a tepid display in Bosnia but more crucially several fringe players failed to prove their worth to Emery.
One man who was a surprise starter for the game is Moreno who would have been expected to sit the game out following Lucas Digne’s suspension for Sunday’s game against Brentford (17 December).
However, the former Real Betis was given the nod ahead of the Frenchman as he stepped up his fitness after just returning from injury, but his display left so much to be desired and will have left Emery stressed and red-faced ahead of a difficult clash in West London this weekend.
As per SofaScore, it was a pretty abject display from the Spanish left-back. Moreno failed to win a single tackle or interception, won just one of his three total duels, and lost possession seven times.
The 30-year-old also failed with all of his three attempted crosses and his single long ball whilst also failing to register a single key pass despite his attacking nature and the quality of the opposition.
The defender had a crucial moment early in the second half after being put through in space on the left flank by Jacob Ramsey and had a great chance to find Moussa Diaby who was rushing in the box for a tap-in but his cross was unusually poor when it looked so easy.
The former Betis man was deservedly hooked off just before the hour mark and it’s suffice to say it wasn’t because he will be featuring against Brentford on Sunday, but because his display stank.
It was a far cry from his last European appearance against Legia Warsaw on 30 November where he scored his first goal for the club, completed 100% of his attempted dribbles, won 50% of his aerial duels and competed in seven duels in total, also making two clearances and drawing a foul to ease the ramping pressure on his team as they fought hard for the 2-1 European victory. [Sofascore]
However, Moreno certainly looked like a player who’s just returned to fitness.
With the Villans taking on a Brentford side who rarely give much away on their own turf, Emery will be taking a bitter pill ahead of the game as he faces an anxious decision on whether Moreno is in the best form to start in Digne’s absence.
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.