Jhon Duran undeserving of Aston Villa start v Bologna after what he did v Fulham
Jhon Duran didn’t do enough against Fulham to earn an Aston Villa start in the Champions League against Bologna on Tuesday 22 October.
The Villans welcome the Italian outfit to Villa Park as they go in search of their third win on the bounce in Europe, looking to do so for the first time since October 1981.
Unai Emery’s side goes into the clash in positive form after taking three points away from Craven Cottage on Saturday (19 October) with Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers scoring in the 3-1 win.
The Villa duo will be keen to keep their roles in the starting XI while Duran will also be hopeful of a start but after his substitute appearance, it feels unlikely that he will be awarded the chance.
Jhon Duran does not deserve Aston Villa start v Bologna
The Colombia international has had a superb start to the campaign which has seen him score four goals in the Premier League despite failing to make a single start.
This means he must impress off the bench as he goes in search of that starting place as the Champions League looms at Villa Park.
He failed to do so against Fulham, coming on with 15 minutes to go to help see out the win.
In that time Duran had just seven touches and made three passes but did maintain a 75 per cent accuracy but Emery would expect better given his lack of involvement [FotMob].
The 20-year-old did manage to get a shot off but it sailed wide of Bernd Leno’s goal, resulting in a zero per cent accuracy against the Cottagers.
The ex-Chicago Fire star did help out defensively somewhat as he registered one clearance and duel won, despite also losing another and maintaining a 50 per cent win rate.
Compared to his average, the forward typically clocks up 2.18 clearances and 4.08 aerial duels won per 90 [Fbref] but against Marco Silva’s side, he was quiet.
There is no doubt that his form throughout the season has been deserving of a start but after an underwhelming cameo in the Premier League, it could prove to be a risk to hand him a starting role in the Champions League.
In other Aston Villa news, a transfer race is underway for Bryan Mbeumo amid a fresh top-six development.
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