(Credit: Imago)

Jacob Raw

Thu 7 May 2026 20:51, UK Updated Thu 7 May 2026 21:08, UK

Aston Villa‘s game against Nottingham Forest had plenty of interesting moments, one being Unai Emery‘s decision to play Victor Lindelof in defensive midfield.

There had been suggestions during the week that the centre-back had been training to play a midfield role, and Emery went through to make the big call.

The Swede played in Villa’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham at the weekend, but was part of a defensive backline that allowed Spurs’ second league win of 2026.

Not long into the first half, Ally McCoist could not help but single out Lindelof and his new role, as many will have split opinions on his perfromance.

Ollie Watkins scored the opener for Villa, and Emery will be hoping that Lindelof can keep performing in the second half.

Ally McCoist and Joe Cole touch on Victor Lindelof’s position

Lindelof was slammed for his performance against Tottenham, which made it even more surprising to see the 31-year-old start in midfield.

It seemed like Lindelof took some time to get used to his position in the first 45 and he still looked shaky the longer things went on.

As seen in the table above, Lindelof had a 81 per cent passing accuracy in the first 45, showing signs of a lack of vision in the middle of the park.

He had a zero per cent long ball accuracy and 33 per cent aerial win rate, but did make two interceptions.

While speaking on TNT Sports, McCoist and Joe Cole gave their thoughts on the former Manchester United star’s early outing.

McCoist said: “I’ve got to say it’s surprised me, it has surprised me, but with Unai Emery’s track record, you’ve got to trust him.”

Cole replied: “It’s a massive call from the manager, particularly for a game like this. It’s such an important part of the pitch.”

Lindelof had just 23 touches in the first half, and that’s probably a good thing, so let’s see if Emery tweaks things in the second period of the game, with Villa currently 1-0 up.

What does this say about Lamare Bogarde

Lamare Bogarde was given a chance in the recent loss to Tottenham, which he clearly failed to impress in.

The young midfielder has been a divisive figure at Villa Park this season, and is clearly someone who Emery can’t make up his mind.

The 22-year-old has only made 10 starts in the Premier League, racking up 964 minutes, but has yet to cement a regular starting spot in B6.

Starting Lindelof ahead of Bogarde, that could show exactly what Emery thinks of the latter.