Boubacar Kamara not the answer for Unai Emery in Aston Villa loss v Chelsea
Unai Emery can’t rely on Boubacar Kamara to solve his midfield issues at Aston Villa after a below-par performance against Chelsea on Sunday.
With regular defensive pivot Amadou Onana still out injured, Kamara was named to start at Stamford Bridge on 1 December, but couldn’t provide the impact expected of him as the Blues cantered to a 3-0 win.
The French international was hooked after just 62 minutes for ex-Chelsea man Ross Barkley to see the game out, and on that display, Emery will be yearning for Onana’s return as soon as possible.
Boubacar Kamara worst of a bad bunch for Aston Villa v Chelsea
Villa had one of those days at Stamford Bridge where everyone failed to impress and almost everything which could have gone wrong did, but Kamara – making a rare start – simply had to do better.
While the 25-year-old completed 90 per cent of his attempted passes [SofaScore], that amounts to just 19 in his 62 minutes – far from enough for any central midfielder to assert himself in any game.
Not one of those passes made its way into the final third, with Kamara accumulating just 0.01 expected assists, and despite completing his only long ball attempt, only one of three dribbles came off (33 per cent).
A mere 31 touches – one every two minutes – showed just how little influence Kamara was able to have on the match, yet he still only completed three defensive actions and ball recoveries apiece [FotMob].
Being dribbled past on two occasions and failing to win a tackle, Kamara made a sole block and clearance apiece, winning just three of his eight ground duels (38 per cent) as Villa were overrun in midfield.
Emery’s side being put to the sword is becoming all too common of late, and to reverse their current spell of poor form, Kamara is one player who needs to improve his own more than most.
In other Aston Villa news, the club face a January transfer battle to sign an in-demand forward with an upcoming release clause.
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