Unai Emery will know he needs to keep his Aston Villa side fresh for challenging games to come in both the Premier League and Champions League, away from his team’s EFL Cup tie with Crystal Palace tonight.
Of course, Villa fans wouldn’t say no to progressing further after tonight’s clash, but the main focus does seem to centre in on Europe’s most prestigious competition and the top-flight, away from concerns about how far they can go past taking on Oliver Glasner’s Eagles.
Tonight’s showdown with Palace does give Emery the chance to rotate his side and throw players into the first-team mix who have otherwise been forgotten about, however, with Amadou Onana’s place one that could be up for grabs after he underwhelmed versus AFC Bournemouth last time out in league action.
Onana's game in numbers vs Bournemouth
Dropping the Belgian won’t all be performance-based though, with the ex-Everton man in need of a rest arguably, having played a part in every Premier League game he could so far this season.
Moreover, Onana also managed 62 minutes in the last round of this competition versus Wycombe Wanderers, but could find he has to sit out the tie with Palace, with his wobbly showing against Bournemouth another sign that he could do with a breather.
The Villa number 24 would only last 45 minutes on the pitch against Andoni Iraola’s men, with card-happy referee Chris Kavanagh dishing out yellows willy-nilly in the first half, as Onana fell victim to his wrath.
Therefore, it was an unconvincing display from the usually forceful midfielder when it came to imposing himself into the contest, winning just 50% of his duels on the day, alongside managing just 28 touches of the ball before being taken off.
His replacement on the day in Ross Barkley would score Villa’s only strike in the 1-1 draw, with Emery relieved that switching out Onana for the former Luton Town man worked.
Barkley could have won himself a starting spot this mid-week, therefore, with Emery also potentially prepared to give this forgotten face his first start of the season as the player in question is now back from a serious injury.
Why Kamara should start vs Palace
Boubacar Kamara was gifted a run-out versus Bournemouth last time out, with the 24-year-old finally back from a serious knee injury which has ruled him out of action since February.
Before this disastrous knock stopped him in his tracks, the ex-Olympique Marseille ace had cemented a regular role for himself in the middle of the park, having made 58 appearances in total for Villa since joining the club in 2022.
Stat – per 90 mins*
Kamara
Games played
20
Games started
20
Minutes per game
83
Goals scored
0
Assists
1
Touches*
63.2
Accurate passes*
45.7 (89%)
Tackles*
2.2
Ball recoveries*
4.9
Total duels won*
5.3
Before becoming a permanent fixture of the Villa Park treatment room, the Frenchman was beginning to make strides in the first team under Emery in the league, with an ability to be calm and measured on the ball whilst also being energetic and lively going in for tackles and duels.
He was even labelled as “outstanding” by football journalist John Townley when beginning to make a name for himself at Villa Park, with there now a growing likelihood that he could start tonight.
That could be of use to the tie with Glasner’s Palace coming up, with a re-energised presence such as Kamara keen to show to his manager that he’s deserving of more first-team opportunities moving forward away from the odd Cup appearance, after shirking off his injury demons.
Emery will know changes will have to come about in this mid-week contest to ensure his side doesn’t burn out amidst a slog of games, with Kamara perhaps benefitting subsequently.
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ByDan EmeryOct 28, 2024