Aston Villa's Must Address Full-Back Crisis Before Top 4 Bid is Crippled

· GiveMeSport

Aston Villa have a major issue at full-back, and it is not coming into focus after an injury scare.

Aston Villa have a significant problem brewing at full-back, and it could cost them a place in the top four this season. It hasn't been comfortable season for Unai Emery and his men so far, which was to be expected after the turnover we saw at Villa Park over the course of the summer transfer window.

Star men Morgan Rogers , Youri Tielemans and Emi Martinez all left the West-Midlands, and replacing them was always going to be difficult, while Amadou Onana suffered a season-ending injury in the summer, leaving a gap in midfield that had to be filled.

A rocky start followed, at least in the Premier League, with Villa currently 10th and five points off the top four, but they have faired better in the Champions League, winning three of their four games so far, and the only defeat in that competition came against Barcelona.

Villa won't be panicking about their Premier League campaign, and rightly so - they are just five points off fourth, and there is plenty of time remaining. But if they don't address a clear problem within their squad in the January transfer window, then their top four bid is likely to collapse.

Villa were dealt an injury scare on Saturday night, when star right-back Matty Cash suffered a concussion after a nasty clash, and he will now enter concussion protocol. Symptoms govern the return to play with that particular setback, meaning Cash will need to come through a staged return to training without any symptom flare-ups before he can be cleared to play.

At the very least, it will put next weekend's clash with Sunderland at risk, and Villa fans will need no reminding of the crisis Emery has emerging at full-back. Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been dealing with a hamstring issue over recent weeks, and while he is hoping to return soon, hamstrings can be troubling for pacey full-backs.

Even on the other side, Matteo Ruggeri is out until some time in December, leaving Villa with one left-back in Ian Maatsen. Two left-backs and two right-backs isn't sufficient for a club playing in the Premier League and Champions League, and at the very least, Villa could do with a full-back who can cover on either side for situations like the one that is developing - the same one that forced Taylor Harwood-Bellis to play out of position at right-back in the draw against Manchester United.

It's a situation that simply has to be addressed by Emery and the Villa board in the January transfer window. Injuries only rack up going into the festive period and beyond, and Villa have to be one step ahead. This Cash scare may be the wake-up call they need.

Read the original

People in this story

Related