Early Aston Villa team news v Brentford predicted: Unai Emery has seen something, Moussa Diaby in
We’re delighted to welcome Sky Sports journalist Dan Bardell as our exclusive Aston Villa columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the club…
Dan Bardell has tipped Moussa Diaby to return to Aston Villa’s Premier League starting lineup for the game against Brentford on Sunday (17 December).
The French international has been named on the bench for the past three league matches after previously being almost ever-present in the opening few months of the campaign.
The 24-year-old winger, who joined Villa from Bayer Leverkusen for £51.9million over the summer, has scored three goals and laid on five assists in 16 league matches this season.
Bardell believes Diaby will return to the fold sooner rather than later as his recent omissions are likely to be down to tactical decisions made by Unai Emery, with Youri Tielemans and Leon Bailey starting ahead of him.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bardell said: “It’s a squad game isn’t it, he hasn’t done anything wrong, but Emery’s seen something in Tielemans and Bailey in the last few games and hasn’t felt the need to play him over them.
“There will be a point where Diaby comes back into the team, I suspect it will probably be Sunday against Brentford.
“But it is increasingly a squad game now and you need players that can come off the bench and make an impact as well. That’s what Bailey’s done to get himself in the team and that’s what Diaby’s going to have to do to get himself back into the team.
“He’s not really done anything wrong, it’s just you need certain players for certain games and, like I say, Emery’s seen something in Tielemans and Bailey that he’s felt he needed to start them against Man City and Arsenal.
“But Diaby will come back into the fray at some point, he’s been a good signing and he’s a very good footballer. It will inject a fire into his belly when he next starts a game.
“I don’t really think his form dropped off, maybe the goals and assists had dried up a little bit, but Diaby will come back into the team at some point. It’s just good that Villa have got these kind of options because that’s what you need.”
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