Unai Emery gets it wrong as Leon Bailey starts for Aston Villa v West Ham
Unai Emery could regret his decision to start Leon Bailey against West Ham in the Premier League.
Villa have made the trip south to take on David Moyes’ side at the London Stadium (17 March).
Unai Emery’s side got back to winning ways in the UEFA Europa Conference League with a convincing 4-0 victory over Ajax at Villa Park on Thursday (14 March), bouncing back from their 4-0 home defeat to Tottenham in the Premier League last weekend.
Their defeat to Tottenham was a loss which put UEFA Champions League qualification in Spurs’ hands, although after the North London side’s surprise 3-0 defeat to Fulham on Saturday (16 March), Villa have the chance to once again take control of their fate with victory over the Hammers.
Three points would see them move five points clear of Tottenham and tighten their grip on fourth position, and Emery will be keen for his players to show a response in the league after last weekend’s defeat.
Their victory over Ajax will have given them a much-needed confidence boost, although after seeing Emery’s team selection, which was posted to the club’s official X account (17 March), some supporters might have lost a little bit of that confidence.
Aston Villa forward Leon Bailey lucky to keep his place against West Ham
Although Bailey got on the scoresheet against Ajax, his overall performance left a lot to be desired.
As per Sofascore, the winger only managed to complete 76 per cent of his passes and failed to provide a single accurate cross into the box from three attempts.
In addition, only 50 per cent of his long balls forward were accurate and he also failed to win the one aerial duel that he contested.
Against Spurs, he was even worse. That day he managed to complete just 36 per cent of his passes, with only one of them key, and was unsuccessful with both of his attempted crosses into the box.
He also won just two of his five ground duels and was dribbled past once before being hooked by Emery.
Bailey has had a good season, and he is a player who certainly posses quality, and Emery will hope that the 26-year-old justifies his decision to start him against West Ham.
In other Aston Villa news, a former employee at the club has compared one current Villa star to Dwight Yorke.
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.