Aston Villa: Unai Emery misses ‘outstanding’ 100% Boubacar Kamara in 1-1 draw v West Ham
The absence of Boubacar Kamara was felt yet again as Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side limped to a 1-1 draw with West Ham at the London Stadium.
Douglas Luiz has also been outstanding this season, while Youri Tielemans looked more comfortable in the deeper role, but there is no doubt Kamara’s presence has been missed.
West Ham’s attacking trio of Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and particularly Lucas Paqueta were allowed to thrive when Kamara may otherwise have helped cope with their impressive form.
Dean Ashton highlighted the Frenchman live on Sky Sports News [17 January, 14:04] as he shared: “Kamara has been outstanding as well. He goes under the radar but does the hard work for your more elaborate players to do their work.”
Aston Villa miss Boubacar Kamara in 1-1 draw v West Ham
Paqueta was the focal point of everything good the Hammers did at the London Stadium, making two key passes, having four shots, drawing two fouls, recording a 100 per cent aerial duel success rate and firing three crosses into the box. [Sofascore]
Kamara would have been the man focused on stopping the Brazilian thanks to his defensive prowess at the base of Emery’s midfield, but this proved yet again how big a miss he has been.
The Frenchman has averaged 1.1 interceptions, 2.2 tackles, 4.9 recoveries and won 50 per cent of his duels overall when playing this season – a display of his strength when having to deal with creative opponents against Villa. [Sofascore]
Kamara has also been assured in possession in midfield to help Villa gain more control of the game, averaging 89 per cent pass accuracy, rising to 94 per cent when in his own half, with an impressive 60 per cent accuracy on long balls to kickstart counter attacks.
Villa have won just one of their last four games in all competitions, albeit a stunning 4-0 victory against Ajax in the Europa Conference League, and it would be entirely fair to suggest that the presence of Kamara could have secured them more points than they have won.
In other Aston Villa news, the club has joined the transfer race to sign a new forward.
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