‘Emery must hook Matty Cash at halftime’ v PSG, he’s a problem for Aston Villa
Unai Emery has to take Matty Cash off at half time for Aston Villa after a really difficult first half against PSG.
The Villans go in at the break level at 1-1 against the Ligue 1 giants on 9 April despite spending nearly a full 45 minutes under the cosh.
The Parisians have had almost all of the ball, leaving the away side without a sniff in attacking areas until Morgan Rogers opened the scoring.
With that being said, Luis Enrique’s side have still thrived down the wings, and with that trend likely to continue into the second half, taking off Cash is a must.
Cash must come off for Aston Villa v PSG
Everyone associated with the B6 club lost their minds when Rogers scored and were immediately brought down to earth when Desire Doue scored a wondergoal.
The strike from the 19-year-old was sensational but was representative of how the first half had gone in general.
The Parisians are so strong on the wings and that has made life extremely difficult for Cash who picked up a booking with just 17 minutes gone.
This hardly comes as a surprise after giving away four fouls at the Parc Des Princes while only winning 33 per cent of his tackles [FotMob].
That isn’t good enough from the Poland international, especially when he’s only won three of his eight attempted duels and made just one defensive action.
Looking ahead to the second half, Emery would be wise to replace him, potentially with Axel Disasi, to help sure his side up on the wings.
Emery to be pleased with first half showing v PSG
It has been a largely difficult first half for the Villans, but to have got on the scoresheet was massive for their confidence in the French capital.
John McGinn’s work for the goal was superb and exactly what he is in the side to do.
| Stat | PSG | Aston Villa |
| Possession (%) | 74 | 26 |
| Expected goals | 0.65 | 0.36 |
| Big chances | 0 | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 349 | 99 |
As the second half begins, Emery will be hoping to get more out of Marcus Rashford, who has been largely anonymous other than one run forward.
There is plenty of positives to take from the first half, but the removal of Cash may turn out to be a wise move for the away side.