Unai Emery to make bold Jhon Duran decision ahead of Aston Villa v Everton
Aston Villa have the chance to continue their bright start to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign against Everton on Saturday (14 September).
Unai Emery’s side opened the season with a smash-and-grab victory against West Ham, with the most recent 2-1 win over Leicester City sandwiching a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Arsenal.
One of the most important players in the two away wins has been Jhon Duran, who was heavily linked with a move away during the summer transfer window, but now looks more dedicated than ever before.
Having been the subject of a £30million bid from the Hammers [The Athletic], it was almost poetry to see him come on at the London Stadium to score the winner before doing the same against the Foxes.
Now, Emery must make the difficult decision to drop Ollie Watkins and give the 20-year-old Colombian a chance to impress in the starting XI. Watkins is just nowhere near the same heights as last season.
Unai Emery to give Jhon Duran chance in Aston Villa v Everton
While Duran has emerged as a very decent option off the bench, being dubbed “special” by Birmingham Live journalist John Towley via X, it is unfair not to reward him for his recent displays.
At the King Power Stadium, the striker was clinical, hitting the target with 100 per cent of his shots and scoring with one of them while also causing havoc by winning 75 per cent of his aerial duels [FotMob].
The stats are extremely similar to his West Ham cameo, hitting the target with 50 per cent of his shots and scoring, successfully completing 33 per cent of his attempted dribbles and winning 75 per cent of his aerial duels [FotMob].
Of course, coming in from the start would mean he needs to adjust his playing style, conserving his energy for the full 90 minutes, but Emery needs to make the tough decision and give Watkins a break.
Despite ranking in the top 84 percentile for non-penalty goals in Europe’s top five leagues, as per FBref, the England international has failed to hit the back of the net this season.
A lack of chances is certainly not the reason for that, having accumulated an xG of 1.68 already [FotMob]. With the striker in poor form, the manager can afford to rest him against the Toffees after the international break.
In other Aston Villa news, Troy Deeney dubbed one Villa player “miles better” than anyone else v Leicester City.
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