Unai Emery Must Unleash Alejandro Garnacho for Aston Villa vs Fenerbahce

· GiveMeSport

Aston Villa need to get back to winning ways, and Unai Emery has a gamechanger ready to make an impact in his squad.

Aston Villa are preparing for a huge Champions League clash with Fenerbahce at Villa Park on Wednesday night, knowing they've not had a good start to the season.

Villa began the campaign by going four straight games without a win in the Premier League before a win over Tottenham before the international break, while their opener in Europe saw them claim a 3-2 win over Club Brugge in Belgium.

The team returned to action after the break with a 2-2 draw against Brentford, having come from behind to then throw away a lead late on, leaving the team sitting in 16th in the table, just two points adrift of the relegation zone.

Despite the start, manager Unai Emery has stayed positive. The Spaniard saw six key players depart during the summer window, while ten new players arrived to replace them and further strengthen the squad, but he is yet to find the best mix for his starting lineup, and injuries have also not helped things.

The attack, in particular, has struggled so far in this campaign, with just 12 goals scored in all competitions, and only six in six Premier League games. Nicolas Jackson has managed to take over the reins from Ollie Watkins up front, while Johan Manzambi has started his career at the club well since returning from injury.

But Emi Buendia has struggled in recent games, and with a number of options on the bench ready to make an impact, the manager has the tools to make changes, and the Fenerbahce clash gives him the perfect opportunity to do so.

Ibrahim Mbaye is a young star who joined for big money, and he is waiting for the chance to show his quality from the start, while Brazilian winger Alysson has been used more regularly by the manager as a substitute this season.

But Emery has a secret weapon on his bench who has experience at the highest level and is a proven goal threat, with Alejandro Garnacho pushing to finally be given the chance to prove himself at Villa.

Garnacho arrived from Chelsea on a season-long loan deal with an obligation to buy him permanently next summer, but has barely featured under Emery since pre-season.

The Argentina international has mustered up just 32 minutes of action in the Premier League, and the manager admitted that he was down the pecking order recently. But during the international break, the 22-year-old was put through an intense programme to get him up to speed, with the manager confirming he is improving.

> “Definitely, he’s improving. The two weeks we worked were very important. He played 90 minutes in both matches. He showed his quality at Chelsea and Manchester United. He’s still young, he joined us to exploit his qualities, but firstly prepare his body and his football - he’s doing it.”

With his pace, direct dribbling style, and his ability to create chances from nothing, Villa could do with his unpredictability in the side right now to try and ruffle some feathers and improve the attack.

A game against Fenerbahce is the ideal opportunity for him to get a chance to show those improvements, with other players struggling for form, and his confidence likely to be high after the international break. If Emery doesn't feel this is the right time for him to play, then it may be that that time never comes.

Read the original

People in this story

Related