Aston Villa: Unai Emery handed new headache ahead of Lille clash amid Clement Lenglet update
Aston Villa and Unai Emery have managed to overcome a torrid run of injuries so far this season and enjoy an excellent season both domestically and in Europe.
Both Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia were ruled out before the season even properly got going while the likes of Jacob Ramsey, Jhon Duran and Matty Cash have all spent spells of the campaign rooted to the treatment table.
Despite those blows, Villa have been in remarkable form and are now only a matter of games from some potential European silverware, starting with the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final against Lille.
However, Emery has been handed a new problem ahead of Thursday (11 April) night’s meeting after the Villa manager confirmed that Clement Lenglet would not be fit to feature against the Ligue 1 side having picked up a new injury.
Birmingham Live’s John Towley reported via X (10 April) that: “Unai Emery says he has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg against Lille tomorrow.
“Clement Lenglet remains out with a “small problem”, while Matty Cash is close to returning to group training.”
Who will Unai Emery start for Aston Villa against Lille in the Europa Conference League?
Lenglet played the full 90 minutes of the first leg of Villa’s Conference League clash with Ajax in the last round, playing a vital role as Emery’s side kept an impressive clean sheet in the Netherlands before they won 4-0 at Villa Park.
The 28-year-old completed 86 per cent of his 57 attempted passes, seven of which found teammates in the final third as he repeatedly helped Emery’s team retain possession and drive up the playing field, according to Fotmob.
On top of that, the Barcelona loanee showcased his impressive range of passing, completing six of his 10 attempted long passes as he looked to switch possession and find Moussa Diaby, Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers in the wide areas.
When compared to other centre-backs in the Conference League this season, the Villa defender has been one of the most effective performers in possession, placing in the 94th percentile for passes attempted per 90 minutes, according to Fbref.
It’s very rare that the Frenchman doesn’t find a teammate in claret and blue either as his pass completion percentage of 91.9 per cent places him in the top eight per cent of his positional peers so far this season.
Despite his defensive role in Emery’s side, the 28-year-old often gives Villa an attacking edge in Europe, placing in the 82nd percentile of centre-backs for passes into the opposition penalty area per game, with an average of 0.48 every 90 minutes.
Lenglet’s last start in the Premier League came in Villa’s 4-1 defeat to Manchester City. Despite the miserable scoreline, the Frenchman played reasonably well out of possession, winning three of his five duels at the Etihad.
While he could do little to thwart Phil Foden going forward, the 28-year-old made three blocks and registered six clearances as he and Diego Carlos attempted to deal with the Premier League champions’ attacking threat.
Will Villa qualify for the Champions League this season?
With Pau Torres and Diego Carlos back fighting fit and ready to start, Emery and Villa should have more than enough options at their disposal to maintain their impressive defensive record in Europe against Lille.
However, should either of the Villa boss’ preferred options pick up fresh injuries, not having a player like Lenglet available from the bench could be a major blow to the Villans’ hopes of lifting European silverware this season.
It may not be a major blow, but it does hand Emery yet another selection headache.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery is understood to be eyeing a “well-known striker” to partner Ollie Watkins this summer
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