‘Andres Garcia decision baffles’ as Aston Villa secure narrow Nottingham Forest win
Andres Garcia started for Aston Villa against Nottingham Forest as a 2-1 win was secured at Villa Park on Saturday.
The Villans moved up to sixth in the Premier League after taking three points from Nuno Espirito Santo’s side on 5 April.
Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen scored within the opening 15 minutes to ultimately win the game, but it was far from plain sailing in B6.
The Reds were by far the better side in the second half, a change in tide after Garcia was bizarrely substituted at half-time.
Garcia substitution harmed Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest
The opening 20 minutes at Villa Park were simply superb as the away side failed to lay a glove on the boys in claret and blue.
There is no doubt that Garcia had a huge impact on that success in what was his first Premier League start since February.
| Stat (Premier League 24/25) | Andres Garcia |
| Appearances | 6 |
| Starts | 5 |
| Minutes played | 312 |
This isn’t necessarily a fair reflection on his performance level since signing from Levante in the winter, proving to be an astute addition from Unai Emery and Co.
The 22-year-old came in for Matty Cash against Forest and appeared to prove his worth as he consistently found space down the right.
This saw the defender clock up 42 touches in just 45 minutes while also completing 93 per cent of his 28 attempted passes [FotMob].
It is fair to say that this was just the tip of the iceberg for his performance level as Garcia also provided one cross and two long balls, which caused problems for the travelling outfit.
Defensively the Spaniard was also useful as he chipped in with four defensive actions and two duels won as Forest failed to find the net in the first half.
Despite all this, Emery opted to hook the young defender at half time as Axel Disasi moved out to right back to accommodate Ezri Konsa.
This didn’t work as Forest dominated the second half from start to finish and were highly unlucky not to secure at least a point.
That may have proved to be so different if Garcia had remained on the pitch for longer and continued to give the Villans an outlet on the wing.
Emery must trust Garcia more regularly
It is fair to say that Emery has his favourites and typically trusts his experienced players as young players build up that experience.
That was the case for Rogers who has slowly become one of the most important players in B6 since signing from Middlesbrough last year.
This could prove to be an example for Garcia to work towards after being removed against Forest despite an excellent performance.
Hopefully, the Spanish full-back doesn’t feel let down by this decision from Emery who will be mainly focused on the upcoming Champions League clash against PSG.