Emery gets Martinez call wrong – Three things learned in Aston Villa vs Brentford
Aston Villa laboured to a 1-0 defeat at Brentford on Saturday.
The Villa Park outfit travelled to West London looking to get their campaign back on the right footing after the 0-0 draw with Newcastle.
Unai Emery‘s side are hoping to qualify for the Champions League this season, but their hopes have taken another blow.
Here, Villa News looks at what we learned from the loss to the Bees.
Unai Emery gets it wrong with Emi Martinez call
Marco Bizot impressed in Aston Villa’s draw with the Magpies on the opening weekend, but he would not be granted the chance to build on that.
Emi Martinez returned to the starting line-up against the Bees, but Emery’s decision would ultimately backfire on him.
Martinez has been linked with a Villa Park exit all summer, and his mind may not be fully focused on action on the pitch right now.
Dango Ouattara reacted quicker than the Argentine after he had saved the Burkina Faso international’s initial effort.
The World Cup winner made just one save and prevented 0.37 worth of expected goals in the defeat.
It may have been a better call to stick with the Dutchman between the sticks on this occasion.
- Read More: The Premier League have released a statement on a controversial incident in Aston Villa vs Brentford
Donyell Malen deserves a chance
Donyell Malen was left on the substitutes bench by Emery and only came on in the 64th minute.
Emi Buendia was preferred over the Dutchman when Boubacar Kamara was injured just 16 minutes into the clash.
The former Borussia Dortmund man could thrive in B6, but he needs to be given the chance by his manager.
Small cameo appearances like the 27 minutes that he got against the Bees are not going to give him the game time required to adapt to the English game.
| Stats | Malen |
| Minutes | 27 |
| Pass accurate | 11/12 (92%) |
| Touches | 12 |
| Touches in opposition box | 1 |
Champions League looks a long way off for Villa
Villa are hoping to get back amongst the European elite, after making it to the quarter-final last season, ultimately being eliminated by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
However, if they are to do that, they need results to improve quickly, because they are way off the level that they need to be right now.
Their business in the transfer market has been hampered by financial regulations from both the Premier League and UEFA, but they should still have enough quality to make it into the competition.
They need a rapid turnaround in results if they are to do so.
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