Aston Villa: Jamie O’Hara slams Unai Emery after what he saw Villans manager do v Tottenham
Jamie O’Hara was right with his comments about Unai Emery following the Aston Villa defeat against Tottenham on Sunday (10 March).
Villa suffered a disappointing 4-0 loss in what could prove to be a massive blow to their chances of finishing in the Champions League places this season.
The convincing victory for Spurs takes them to within two points of the Villans and they have a game in hand, opening up the opportunity for them to jump into the top-four spots.
There have been questions asked about Emery’s tactics for the clash as he reverted to a back-three, with Ezri Konsa lining up alongside Pau Torres and Clement Lenglet, while Matty Cash came in at right-wing back.
Speaking on Sky Sports News during the second half (02:21pm), Jamie O’Hara was critical of the way the Spaniard set his side up at Villa Park.
“They are having a go Villa, they are trying to get back in the game,” said O’Hara. “They’ve made some changes, but I think he’s got it wrong today Unai Emery playing five at the back.
“I think it hurt Aston Villa in the way that they wanted to play their football. Spurs grew in confidence and Spurs have just dictated the tempo, moving the ball around nicely.”
While O’Hara is largely viewed as a controversial figure, particularly after his comments about Cash following the game against Tottenham earlier this season, he’s right to question the setup from Emery.
The Villa boss hasn’t made many mistakes during his time at the club, but the formation against Spurs looked to play into the away side’s hands and allowed them to take control of the game from start to finish.
The three centre-backs really struggled to work as a unit and prevent Ange Postecoglou’s side from getting into dangerous areas and creating chances.
The trio won just four of the 11 ground duels they were involved in across the afternoon, indicating the lack of dominance they showed throughout the afternoon [SofaScore].
They also suffered going forward, with Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins struggling to feed off each other and put Tottenham under pressure.
Bailey recorded just a 36 per cent pass success rate, which is incredibly low for a Premier League player, while Watkins didn’t have a single shot on target.
The midfield battle was another area where Villa came up short, with captain John McGinn’s sending-off capping off what was an incredibly disappointing afternoon for the club.
The result is only one chapter in what has been a successful season so far for Villa, but there’s a good chance Emery won’t play a back-three again any time soon after the performance against Spurs.
In other Aston Villa news, a journalist has mooted a high-profile exit after a £110million+ development has emerged.
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