Aston Villa: Unai Emery risks derailing Villa Park progress with Clement Lenglet decisions
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery must finally axe Clement Lenglet and bring back Pau Torres into his starting XI at Villa Park after another underwhelming display in their 2-1 loss to Manchester United.
Scott McTominay’s 86th-minute header gave Erik Ten Hag’s men a priceless victory at Aston Villa as both teams fight for Champions League qualification in the Premier League.
United appeared to be clinging on for a point as Villa created a succession of chances after Douglas Luiz cancelled out Rasmus Hojlund’s first-half strike.
But McTominay settled a thrilling contest when he got in front of Matty Cash and rose to meet Diogo Dalot’s right-wing cross.
The defeat means the Villans are without a win at home in their three games since the turn of the year as the Red Devils cut the gap between the two teams to just five points.
Emery risks derailing Villa Park progress by starting Clement Lenglet
Emery did his best to clinch all three points during the game, making several substitutions in the second half to not only stifle Ten Hag’s counter-attacking prowess but also overpower the United defence and midfield.
The Spaniard made one baffling call by replacing Leon Bailey after the hour mark when Villa were on top after bringing on Moussa Diaby, a decision which proved very costly.
However, it’s his constant decisions to start Lenglet that may have already allowed Manchester United a route to a crucial victory as the Frenchman yet again, failed to prove he’s the ideal foil when Torres is out of action.
In terms of what he offers Emery in terms of ball progression and retention from deep, the Frenchman has proven effective in that regard.
Amongst all players in the Europa Conference League this season, Lenglet ranks ninth for touches, joint-second for successful take-ons, and sixth for progressive carries distance [FBRef].
Amongst his positional peers in Europe’s top-five leagues, he ranks in the 99th percentile for pass completion percentage per 90, 90th percentile for progressive passes, 92nd for progressive carries and 93rd percentile for success take-ons.
Emery thought the Frenchman was a good addition because of his tremendous attributes on the ball and he has proved it at times but his defensive efforts leave so much to be desired and it was evident against the Red Devils.
Both goals conceded may not have been a direct fault of Lenglet’s but his lack of leadership and communication with Diego Carlos was evident in both goals.
And his stats on the evening proved he’s got a long way to go before Aston Villa consider signing him permanently.
As per SofaScore, Lenglet only won one duel all game for the Villans, whilst recording just one clearance and one block, failing with zero per cent of his crosses and recording a 33% long ball success rate whilst completing 87 per cent of his passing in a pretty woeful display.
This display follows on from his performance in the 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth-round replay.
The Frenchman was incredibly poor against the Blues winning only 50 per cent of his duels and he even struggled on the ball only completing 38 per cent of his long balls.
It’s been understandable for Emery to give Lenglet a run in the team with Torres recently injured but the Spaniard has been largely fit for a while now and given his impressive displays at the heart of the defence before his injury, it’s time Emery hands him his spot back and that could well arrive against Fulham on Saturday (17 February).
In other Aston Villa news, Alan Hutton has offered his verdict on Bailey’s new contract at Villa Park
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