Emi Martinez injury update at Aston Villa means Robin Olsen must now step up for Unai Emery
Unai Emery has called on Robin Olsen to step up his performances for Aston Villa after Emi Martinez was injured during the clash with Chelsea and could miss up to three weeks.
While Emery didn’t name Olsen specifically, he insisted that players will have to take their opportunities after injury blows, with Olsen the one to step in for Martinez against Chelsea.
With Villa still on course for Champions League qualification, it will be up to Olsen to replicate the confidence Martinez brings to the team to keep their season on track.
As shared by The Athletic journalist Jacob Tanswell on X, Emery explained: “If Tielemans and Martinez are unavailable for one week, two weeks or three weeks, we have to accept it and every situation we are passing for the season we are reacting.
“We are giving chances to other players to help us. It’s the moment for other players.”
Robin Olsen must step up after Aston Villa v Chelsea display
It looks like Olsen will be called upon in crucial games as we approach the end of the season, but he will have to perform better than he did in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea if he wants to help Villa achieve their aims for the season.
Olsen came on for the second half of the game and proved powerless to stop Chelsea from pulling back from a 2-0 deficit to draw, with the Blues having 13 shots in the second 45, hitting the target with four of them while dominating possession with 69 per cent. [Sofascore]
A goals-prevented metric of -1.35 shows how disappointing he was, with Chelsea finding the back of the net twice from just 0.65xG – that was, in large part, thanks to a stunner from Conor Gallagher, but he was down far too slowly to prevent Noni Madueke’s finish.
The goalkeeper made just two saves despite the onslaught, with a shocking 59 per cent pass accuracy as he struggled to progress with the ball at his feet – with that accuracy dropping to just 33 per cent with his long passes.
He was also fortunate to see a late own-goal disallowed after Axel Disasi’s effort crashed off the bar before hitting Olsen and bouncing into the back of the net.
With Champions League qualification on the line and Martinez’s dependable presence missing, the pressure will be on Olsen to prove he can do a job in testing circumstances and to step up for Unai Emery.
In other Aston Villa news, John McGinn gushed over an “outstanding” Villa star.
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