Unai Emery gets it wrong as Moussa Diaby starts for Aston Villa in showdown v Olympiacos
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has named his starting XI for the Europa Conference League clash with Olympiacos and Moussa Diaby has kept his place.
The Villans are looking to overturn a two-goal deficit in Athens having lost 4-2 in the first leg at Villa Park, with Douglas Luiz’s late penalty miss putting the pressure back on Emery’s side.
Emi Martinez and and Matty Cash have returned to the fold with Morgan Rogers ruled out through injury and Robin Olsen dropping back to the bench, but Diaby does not deserve to start after his display against Brighton.
In 73 minutes of action on the south coast, the French international only completed 58 per cent of his 12 attempted passes, meaning he only found a teammate with an effort on seven occasions in the game, according to Fotmob.
Only one of those passes found a player in the final third and the 24-year-old was unable to produce a goal threat himself as he only registered two touches in the Seagull’s box and only tested the keeper with one shot.
Out of possession, Diaby wasn’t much better, failing to enter a single tackle before he was substituted and winning zero per cent of his two ground duels while also being dribbled past once.
Against Chelsea in the Premier League, the winger was similarly ineffective, completing only 40 per cent of his passes and failing to find a teammate with either of his two attempted long passes before being hooked in the second half.
Diaby did impress in the first leg against Olympiacos as he laid on an assist and even found the net himself as he produced three goal-scoring chances, but he still struggled to effect the game from a defensive point.
The Villa star only won 50 per cent of his attempted tackles and only won two ground duels in the contest as the Greek side flexed their attacking muscles to claim an important lead.
On top of that, the 24-year-old failed to complete any of his attempted dribbles in the match.
In ten European games this season, Diaby has only produced one assist. With Rogers sidelined, he simply has to get back to his best or the lack of creative spark could end the Villans’ hopes of silverware.
Can Aston Villa qualify for the Europa Conference League final against Olympiacos?
It’s not going to be easy for Villa, but they know what they have to do to book their place in this final. A win, by three goals or more, will be enough to hand Emery’s side a genuine chance of European silverware once again.
Olympiacos showed in the first leg they simply have to be taken seriously and while Villa will hope to be much better in Athens, especially with news emerging that several key players have managed to return from injury.
There have been concerns pre-match after developments emerged involving the referee and his previous work, but all of that talk has to be brushed to one side. If the team’s focus isn’t on the field, they won’t be able to overturn this deficit.
Hopefully, Emery’s side will be able to get the job done regardless of his team selection. The Villa boss will expect his side to do enough to book their place in the final. They’ve already been so impressive so often this season.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery is “ready to spend” ahead of the summer transfer window at Villa Park after agreeing on a club-record deal
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