Aston Villa star John McGinn must step up as Unai Emery shares Youri Tielemans injury news
Aston Villa captain John McGinn will have to step up in a slightly changed role against Olympiacos as Unai Emery confirmed that Youri Tielemans will be unavailable.
The boss confirmed the latest injury update in his press conference ahead of the Europa Conference League semi-final, with the Belgian said to be “progressing well”. [Jacob Tanswell, 1 May]
Tielemans’ injury means McGinn is most likely to drop into his role for the clash with Olympiacos as he did against Chelsea, with Moussa Diaby filling in further forward.
John McGinn must step up for Aston Villa after Youri Tielemans injury news
McGinn dropped into the deeper role alongside Douglas Luiz after Tielemans was forced off with an injury against Chelsea but struggled to make an impact as Villa threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2.
Emery was left fuming after McGinn misplaced a pass in the clash with Chelsea, with his anger explained as the midfielder completed a disappointing 71 per cent of his passes, dropping to 50 per cent from long passes. [Sofascore]
On top of continuous misplaced passes in a difficult performance, McGinn also recorded a zero per cent success rate with his attempted crosses and failed to hit the target with his shots while losing possession eight times.
McGinn also struggled defensively with a zero per cent success rate on aerial duels and having been dribbled past twice, his presence in the centre of midfield did little to stop Chelsea’s pressure as the Blues dominated 71 per cent of the possession.
If Emery can guide Villa to European silverware by defeating Olympiacos on the way, the decision to reward him with a brand new extended deal will be proven right immediately, but he will require his captain to step up to make it.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery has been told to take note of an under-21 gem.
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