Evann Guessand is new scapegoat as one Aston Villa star is Unai Emery's real issue
Evann Guessand has been central to criticism at Aston Villa, but perhaps another underperformer is to blame.
Unai Emery has continued to back Guessand, despite poor performances.
Since arriving at B6, Guessand has failed to deliver in front of goal, as he was largely blamed for Aston Villa's poor start to the season.
Villa's recent run of form in the Premier League was disrupted on Saturday when Liverpool beat Emery's side 2-0 at Anfield.
After 10 games, now behind Aston Villa in the Premier League and only nine goals scored, it's only fair that some of the attacking blame is shifted onto one man in particular.
Ollie Watkins needs to be blamed for Aston Villa
Guessand was substituted for Donyell Malen before the hour mark against Liverpool, as the Ivorian is now up to nine Premier League games for Villa without a goal.
Ollie Watkins was hooked later on in the game after a poor performance, as the striker needs to be looked at closely by Emery.
- Watkins had just 18 touches against Liverpool
- He didn't have a shot
- Watkins recorded a low Sofascore rating of 6.5
Granted, Villa and Watkins were up against the defending Premier League champions; however, performances haven't been there all season from the England striker.
Guesand has taken most of the flak from Villa fans, but how do his stats match up with Watkins'?
Evann Guessand and Watkins stat comparison
So far, Guessand has looked like a poor signing. However, that doesn't mean that the versatile forward won't improve.
Interestingly, Watkins has done no better when it comes to attacking output in all competitions this season, as they both have just the one goal.
| Player | Starts | Goals | Successful dribbles per game | Aerial duels won per game | Possession lost | Average rating |
| Watkins | 9 | 1 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 7.1 | 6.47 |
| Guessand | 5 | 0 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 6.9 | 6.47 |
Watkins has won just 28 per cent of his aerial duels per game this season, compared to Guessand’s 44 per cent, making the latter a potential option as a target man for Emery.
On average, Watkins loses possession more times than Guessand, as both are tied on rating this season.
If Watkins wants any chance of travelling with England to the 2026 World Cup, he seriously needs to up his game, as that could unlock Guessand along the way.
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