Unai Emery handed latest blow at Aston Villa as Matty Cash injury update emerges
Aston Villa being condemned to a 2-0 defeat by Arsenal was not the only blow handed to Unai Emery at Villa Park on Saturday (24 August).
With Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings still on the sidelines after suffering serious injuries last season, the last thing the Villa manager would have wanted is another of his stars on the medical table.
However, that looks to be exactly what happened after Matty Cash was forced off the pitch with an injury just 16 minutes into the clash, having gone down after keeping Gabriel Martinelli out of the penalty area.
The Athletic journalist Jacob Tanswell reported on Monday (26 August) that the 27-year-old full-back is set to face a month on the sidelines after sustaining a new hamstring injury.
While there are no Champions League clashes to worry about for the next four weeks, Cash could miss league matches against Leicester City, Everton, Wolves and Ipswich Town, with fans hoping for his return ahead of the Manchester United game on Sunday 6 October at the latest.
Matty Cash injury blow emerges after Aston Villa v Arsenal
Before leaving the field with the new injury concern, Cash dealt with the threat of Martinelli well, making one clearance while maintaining a 100 per cent passing accuracy to help build the attack [FotMob].
Due to a mixed injury record last season, the right-back only made 23 Premier League starts last term, so Villa will have learnt how to deal without him on the flank, but it will still come as a huge blow.
The Poland international ranks in the top 80 percentile for non-penalty goals, the top 93 percentile for total shots, the top 89 percentile for touches in the attacking penalty area, and the top 78 percentile for successful tackles [FBref].
While Ezri Konsa has showcased his ability to deputise in the position, as well as the new signing of 18-year-old Kosta Nedeljkovic, neither can have the same impact as Cash at right-back.
While the former defender ranks in the top 83 percentile for progressive carries, as per FBref, his lower 40 percentile ranking for non-penalty goals and 71 percentile for touches in the attacking area are far below Cash’s impact.
Given his attacking statistics, few can blame the two back-up options for being unable to fill his shoes, but Emery will need to do exactly that if Villa are to claim as many Premier League victories as possible with the defender now sidelined for a month.
In other Aston Villa news, a regular figure threw away all his “brilliant” work after a blunder against Arsenal.
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