Unai Emery gets it wrong as Matty Cash axed from Aston Villa starting XI for clash v Brighton
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has made a mistake by axing Matty Cash from the Villans’ starting XI for the Premier League clash with Brighton.
The Villa boss only made two changes to the starting XI that lost to Olympiacos for the match on the south coast on Sunday (5 May) with Cash and Clement Lenglet dropping to the bench in place of Pau Torres and Diego Carlos
Cash did have a difficult afternoon against the Greek side last time out, failing to find a teammate with any of his five attempted crosses and losing 75 per cent of his ground duels, but he still tried to be positive, according to Fotmob.
On the ball, the Polish international completed 87 per cent of his 53 attempted passes and registered an astonishing 12 passes into the final third as he repeatedly tried to help Villa counterattack and get back into the game.
The 26-year-old even managed to produce a single goalscoring chance and had the Villans’ finishing been better he could have quite easily walked away with an assist.
Against Chelsea in Villa’s last game in the Premier League, the right-back was once again excellent, picking up the assist for Morgan Rogers’ first-half strike as he created two goalscoring chances for his teammates.
Out of possession, the Villa defender won 100 per cent of his attempted tackles and came away with possession in three of his ground duels all while only being dribbled past once by the dangerous Mykhaylo Mudryk.
In 28 Premier League games this term, Cash has registered two goals and two assists. Konsa on the other hand is yet to pick up an assist. Without Cash in the side, Villa could lack an important attacking threat from defence.
Will Aston Villa qualify for the Champions League with a win over Brighton?
Aston Villa are already in the driving seat for Champions League qualification this season, but a win over the Seagulls on Sunday would all but guarantee Emery’s side’s place in the top four of the Premier League this term.
It won’t be easy as Brighton have been as impressive as ever this season, but if Villa reach the standards that they did in their win over Arsenal only a matter of weeks ago, they are capable of beating anybody they’ll face this term.
Injuries have made life more difficult for the Villans this season with a number of key players missing big portions of the campaign, but Emery won’t use that as an excuse if his side falters in the final weeks of the campaign.
Following the disappointing defeat to Olympiacos in the Europa Conference League last time out, Villa will be desperate to get back to winning ways. Three points on the south coast would massively boost morale at Villa Park heading into the second leg.
In other Aston Villa news, Tim Iroegbunam has been tipped to snub a move to Ajax this summer after updates at Villa Park
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.