Matty Cash now walks a tightrope at Aston Villa after what he did v Brentford, Unai Emery could green-light transfer replacement in January
Matty Cash could now be walking a tightrope at Aston Villa after another underwhelming display against Brentford on Sunday which could force Unai Emery into action in January.
The Villans came from behind to dramatically beat Brentford 2-1 after a red card for Bees defender Ben Mee changed the complexion of the match.
Keane Lewis-Potter opened the scoring for the hosts at the end of the first half after Villa failed to clear a corner from the left.
But the game turned when Mee was sent off after VAR review in the 71st minute for diving in and catching Leon Bailey on the ankle.
The visitors then went on to seal the victory through goals from Alex Moreno and an Ollie Watkins winner which put an end to a feisty encounter at the Gtech Community Stadium which also saw Boubacar Kamara sent off before the FT whistle.
The result put Aston Villa second in the Premier League table for only a few hours after Liverpool’s draw against Manchester United at Anfield.
The scenes at the end overshadowed what had developed into an intriguing encounter between two fiercely committed sides but it was a performance from the Villans that will have Emery pondering especially the performance of right-back Cash who may now be walking a tightrope after his performance.
The Polish international has undergone something of a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde type of form so far this campaign and has been dropped at numerous points this season with Emery favouring Ezri Konsa as a right-back when playing the big teams.
Against Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar during their impressive 4-1 win in the reverse fixture at the AFAS Stadium on 26 October, Cash was handed the worst average score of any Villa player [via SofaScore] at a dreadful 6.2/10 and his underlying stats proved why.
The former Forest man won just three of his eight duels at a worrying success rate of 38% lost possession 11 times and completed just one dribble given he’s expected to provide Villa with the width on the right.
The Luton Town win saw an improved performance, registering two key passes, one big chance created, successfully completing 50% of his dribbles and 92% of his passes but again Mr Hyde reared his ugly head as he was woeful against Forest on Sunday (5 November).
As per SofaScore, the Pole failed to win 100% of his total duels, failed to register a single tackle, failed with 100% of his dribbles, only touched the ball 49 touches, completed one key pass and lost possession of the ball seven times before being dragged off with a shoulder injury.
Since that display, the Pole has lost his permanent place at right back with Emery somewhat losing trust in him for the testing fixtures most notably against Manchester City and Arsenal but his inconsistent form was on show again on Sunday (17 December).
As per SofaScore, Cash was again handed the worst average rating of any Aston Villa player to start the game at 6.4/10, completing zero per cent of his crosses, and long balls and winning 50 per cent of his total duels.
The former Nottingham Forest defender also failed to register a single key pass, lost possession of the ball 12 times and won just one tackle before being hooked off after 65 minutes.
The fact that Cash doesn’t have any quality competition in the position always leaves room for complacency to creep into his game.
With the January transfer window set to open in a matter of two weeks, the Polish international could very well find his spot in permanent jeopardy with Emery likely to go out and get another quality right-back.
In other Aston Villa news, a doctor delivered a new verdict on Tyrone Mings.