BREAKING NEWS: Emery ready to terrorise Palace by finally unleashing Villa’s £150k-pw “baller” today

Aston Villa: Emery must unleash £150k-p/w “baller”

One Villa gem will be desperate for a proper chance to shine under Unai Emery…

Aston Villa are back in action this afternoon, as Unai Emery’s side look to put matters right after their defeat to Liverpool before the international break.

The Villans will welcome Crystal Palace to Villa Park in what is poised to be a thriller, with both teams showing a host of quality in their fixtures already this season.

The Midlands side have registered two wins and two losses, building some form after their embarrassing opening day thrashing at St James’ Park, as Newcastle United slayed Emery’s side 5-1.

After an encouraging summer in the transfer window, there has been an added influx of quality to the squad, with some new arrivals already showing their worth.

What is the latest Aston Villa team news?

Last time out at Anfield, Villa were shocked in the opening minutes, as Dominik Szoboszlai scored his first Liverpool goal after just three minutes.

 

Things went from bad to worse, and then worse again for Emery’s side, who lost Diego Carlos to injury in the 19th minute, to then concede their second moments later through a Matty Cash own goal.

There was worry over Carlos’ withdrawal following his lengthy time on the sidelines last season due to an achilles rupture, with the manager confirming that he will miss today’s game against Palace.

Placing the defence aside, after the attacking absence at Anfield, Emery could consider making changes to bring additional threat to the front line, with the Midlands side registering just 0.66 expected goals against Liverpool, via Sofascore.

Should Youri Tielemans start against Crystal Palace?

One player that could provide some added danger to the final third is Youri Tielemans, who was signed this summer on a free transfer from Leicester City.

The Belgian is a seasoned Premier League player with 155 appearances in the league already under his belt, however is yet to start for Villa this season.

During a press-conference while on duty with Belgium, the midfielder described the lack of game time as “not pleasant”, as relayed by Football 365, with him playing just 93 minutes over the four appearances he’s made so far.

Following the performance at Anfield, Emery may be inclined to shuffle his side to impose a better threat on Palace, with Tielemans being the ideal figure to generate chances.

Against the Reds, Villa failed to record a single big chance, which the Belgian could resolve with him creating ten big chances last season for Leicester, despite their relegation form.

Lauded as a “baller” by CBS journalist Aaron West for his pre-season form, the £150k-per-week gem could offer a lot to the squad at Villa Park, even more so with the motive of having a point to prove in order to receive more game time.

There’s a positive for Villa going forward, with Hodgson confirming that prized centre-back Marc Guehi will be out of contention due to injury, giving Emery more of an incentive to go full force on what will be a depleted back line for the visitors.

After going public about his disappointment in relation to his game time, the Belgian may be handed a chance to show his worth, which would be a strong point for Villa, with him recording an average of 1.15 key passes and 6.95 progressive passes last term for Leicester, via FBref.

The main priority for Villa will be to get back to winning ways, however giving their summer arrival a chance to flex his ability may be a positive route to claiming three points.