Unai Emery to axe Amadou Onana at HT in Aston Villa v Bournemouth, too risky to keep him on
Unai Emery must make the difficult decision to replace Amadou Onana at half-time as Aston Villa face Bournemouth at Villa Park on Saturday (26 October).
The Belgian has been a mainstay in the Villa team since arriving from Everton this summer, only missing the clash with Manchester United through injury, and the midfielder looks better with him in it.
However, Onana has been walking a tightrope since the fourth minute, having gone into the book for a crunching challenge on Enes Unal, and Emery will be wincing every time the ball goes into midfield.
That is because Youri Tielemans has also been cautioned for a foul on Justin Kluivert, and based on how quickly the Cherries can attack on the counter, a change at half-time would make sense.
Unai Emery to sacrifice Amadou Onana at HT in Aston Villa v Bournemouth?
Referee Chris Kavanagh handed out a total of seven yellow cards in the first half, with Kluivert, Julian Araujo, Adam Smith, Jacob Ramsey and Unal also going into the book, and a sending-off would completely change the tie.
With how card-happy Kavanagh has been, it seems like too much of a risk to keep Onana on the pitch, especially given how important he is to this Villa team.
Other than the yellow card, the 23-year-old has completed 93 per cent of his passes, maintained a 50 per cent shot accuracy, completed 100 per cent of his dribbles and made six passes into the final third [FotMob].
Of course, with 25 per cent of his ground duels won, there is every chance that Kavanagh could punish Onana for another strong challenge in the middle of the park. It is not a risk worth taking.
Luckily for Emery, Boubacar Kamara is on the bench after returning from injury, and while the Frenchman has only played 12 minutes against Bologna in the Champions League, it’s a decent swap.
Despite a short cameo in the Champions League on Tuesday 22 October, Kamara completed 92 per cent of his passes, won 100 per cent of his aerial duels and made one interception [FotMob].
If Emery does not want to risk the 24-year-old just yet, Ross Barkley has proven his ability in the middle of the park, which could be another option for the Spaniard if Onana is to be replaced at the break.
In other Aston Villa news, the Villans are leading the race to sign Bazoumana Toure as Hammarby set a new price tag.
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.