Unai Emery dealt huge ‘blow’ for Aston Villa v Chelsea, Bogarde must step up
Aston Villa could be forced to rely on Lamare Bogarde against Chelsea at Villa Park on Saturday.
The Villans are preparing to welcome Enzo Maresca’s side on 22 February as both sides look to win for the first time in two games in all competitions.
Unai Emery’s side were unfortunate in their last outing, securing a hard-fought draw against Premier League leaders Liverpool in B6.
If the Spaniard is to secure a positive result against the Blues, he will have to do so without a key player from last time out.
Aston Villa must trust Lamare Bogarde after Axel Disasi ‘blow’ v Chelsea
It is safe to say that Axel Disasi proved exactly why the Villans brought him in on loan with his performance against Arne Slot’s side.
The France international was colossal at the back, winning four duels while contributing with seven defensive actions and seven recoveries [FotMob].
This was complimented by a 94 per cent pass accuracy and a 100 per cent dribble success which will be appreciated highly by his manager.
With that being said, the 26-year-old will be absent against Chelsea as he can’t play against his parent club which has been labelled as a “blow” by Paul Merson [Sportskeeda].
This could see Bogarde step up to start at centre-back against the Blues with Boubacar Kamara suffering an injury against Ipswich Town.
The young Dutchman has proved his quality at times this season, most recently in the Champions League win against Celtic in B6.
The 21-year-old started the clash and was able to maintain a 90 per cent pass completion as he was careful and utilised his 64 touches.
It is safe to say he was defensively sound against Brendan Rodgers’ side as he won 75 per cent of his tackles while also winning six duels.
With this being said, there is no reason why Emery can’t put his faith in the high-potential ace, especially against a striker-less Chelsea side.
| Stat | Lamare Bogarde v Celtic |
| Passes completed | 43 |
| Tackles won | 3 |
| Defensive actions | 3 |
| Duels won | 6 |
Unai Emery has to trust Lamare Bogarde to start for Aston Villa
Unfortunately, injuries have ravaged the Spanish head coach’s squad to the point where he is already without his regular centre-back pairing.
Tyrone Mings has only just returned and now is set to lose his partner of the last two games due to his loan agreement.
There is a chance that Ezri Konsa could be in line to return but would certainly be a risk for Emery to bring him back to the starting 11 instantly.
As a result, it makes more sense to show some faith in Bogarde from the start in the Premier League to allow him to showcase himself at Villa Park.