(Credit: Imago)

Unai Emery will be fuming after what Marco Bizot did in Aston Villa win vs Roma

Pranav is a sports journalist who over nine years of experience working inside newsrooms, including but not limited to News Associates, The Non League Paper, HT Media Group, VAVEL, Sportskeeda, Chichester Observer and Eastbourne Herald. He has graduated from St. Mary’s University, London, in Sports Journalism (MA). He specialises in news related to takeovers, club finances and injuries.

Published on:

07 Aug 2025, 5:45 am

Marco Bizot played the second half for Aston Villa as they secured a 4-0 win against AS Roma on Wednesday.

Emiliano Buendia, Jacob Ramsey, Ollie Watkins and Donyell Malen scored the goals for Unai Emery's side at the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium.

Villa scored three goals in the first half and the manager made a number of changes at the break to give most of his squad the opportunity to secure regular game time in the upcoming season.

Martinez has been linked with an exit. (Credit: Imago)

Bizot nearly lets Emery down with his distribution

Emiliano Martinez started in goal against Roma, with Bizot coming on for the Argentina keeper as a half-time substitution.

The 32-year-old was assured in possession, completing 75 per cent of his passes, according to Sofascore.

He even completed most of his long passes, with seven out of 13 finding their desired target.

However, Bizot, who joined from Brest this summer, was not as confident with the ball at his feet as Martinez and nearly let Emery down with his distribution.

The Dutchman's pass accuracy was 62 per cent and more worryingly, he could only complete four of his 13 attempted long passes.

While the 34-year-old did make one save in the second half, he will need to get better at playing out from the back.

Read more: Martinez faces crunch decision at Aston Villa as three transfer offers made

Emery needs to be backed this summer. (Credit: Imago)

Aston Villa may need to sign another keeper if Martinez leaves

If Martinez leaves Villa, Bizot is not suitable to replace him as the club’s number one goalkeeper.

The 34-year-old lacks the elite shot-stopping and ball-playing ability that the Argentine provides, which is critical for Emery’s high defensive line and possession-based system.

Stat	Value
Minutes Played	45'
Saves	1
Punches	1
Touches	29
Accurate Passes	16/26 (62%)
Long Balls (Accurate)	13 (4)
Clearances	1

Bizot's stats v Roma.

The Dutchman's limited mobility and inconsistent distribution do not match the demands of a sweeper-keeper role required at Villa.

Additionally, there may be concerns about his reliability for a full Premier League season.

To maintain their top-four ambitions, Villa should have a solid keeper ready to move for in case Martinez ends up leaving.

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Marco Bizot