Aston Villa: Unai Emery got Leon Bailey decision horribly wrong in loss v Man United
Unai Emery got the decision horribly wrong to replace Leon Bailey in the second half of the Aston Villa defeat against Manchester United on Sunday (11 February).
The Villa boss decided to take the Jamaican international off on 73 minutes, with midfielder Youri Tielemans coming on for him at Villa Park.
It was a decision that was met with some bemusement as the 26-year-old was the Villans’ best attacking outlet and the game was finely poised at 1-1 at the time, with the Red Devils going on to secure a 2-1 victory.
Speaking on Match of the Day 2 on Sunday (42:51), Stephen Warnock praised Bailey for his performance on the right wing as he responded to Emery’s decision to substitute him.
“Bailey was outstanding in this game,” said Warnock. “I think he was asked the question after the game if it was tactical and what was the reasoning for bringing him off, and Unai Emery said it was tactical.
“I thought he was great on the day. He was a real threat down the right-hand side.”
Emery has done absolute wonders since he walked through the door at Villa Park and you can count the mistakes he’s made on one hand, but this was a strange decision.
With Ollie Watkins failing to fire, Bailey was the attacking player who looked most likely to make something happen for Villa and potentially put his side in the lead.
Although Tielemans does possess plenty of quality and has the instinct to play intricate passes, the winger was causing problems and worrying the Man United defenders.
The Jamaican recorded an 88 per cent pass success rate, while he made two key passes as he looked to create opportunities for his teammates.
He didn’t manage to have an effort on target, but he was successful in all three of the dribbles he attempted as he looked to be getting the better of Luke Shaw before he was taken off.
Bailey also won five out of his six duels and was fouled once as he showed he was up for the fight, having earned a SofaScore rating of 7.5 – the third-highest of any Villa player on the day.
It just seemed to go a bit flat after he went off, with Watkins failing to get involved in the right areas and substitute Moussa Diaby struggling for confidence.
The Villans were then hit with a sucker punch when the Red Devils scored what was an undeserved winner through Scott McTominay on 86 minutes.
Whether that would have happened with Bailey on the pitch is anyone’s guess, but it just feels as though their chances of winning the game would have been better had he not gone off.
It doesn’t happen often, but Emery is allowed to make a mistake every once in a while. It’s just unfortunate that it came in such a big game at Villa Park.
In other Aston Villa news, Unai Emery may have contacted his former club after a Villa player exit has been confirmed.
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