Unai Emery could find a solution to Jacob Ramsey’s injury blow by playing one of his Aston Villa players in a surprise position after the international break.
Aston Villa continued their poor run of form on Saturday night, as Unai Emery’s men were beaten 2-0 by title-chasing Liverpool.
The Villans have now lost four in a row in all competitions and sit in ninth position but perhaps more alarmingly, have suffered injuries to some of their key players.
Boubacar Kamara and Jacob Ramsey were the latest to pick up hamstring problems, with Ramsey set to be out for the next couple of weeks and could miss the clash against Crystal Palace.
The 23-year-old, much like Kamara, has endured a horrible time with injuries, missing most of the 2023/24 campaign with continuous setbacks.
Should the Englishman not be ready for the visit of Crystal Palace in 11 days, the obvious replacement is John McGinn however, Emery could experiment with a different player.
Unai Emery could start Ian Maatsen as a left winger vs Crystal Palace
When Ian Maatsen was captured in a big-money move from Chelsea in the summer, most expected him to nail down a spot at left-back, replacing Lucas Digne and Alex Moreno.
While Moreno has since joined Nottingham Forest on loan, Digne has been excellent this term, resulting in no Premier League starts for Maatsen so far.
The Dutchman has instead been selected in the starting XI four times across the Carabao Cup and the Champions League.
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With Emery currently preferring Digne at left-back, the 22-year-old will have to continue coming off the bench in the top flight, or the Spaniard could use him as a left winger instead.
Maatsen replaced Leon Bailey there in the win over Bayern Munich as Emery sought to close out the game and the statistics suggest it’s an experiment he should try moving forward.
Ian Maatsen’s incredible attacking statistics
Digne has improved so much under Emery, becoming more of a solid defender, while Maatsen is arguably more of a threat in attack.
As highlighted by FBref, the Dutch dynamo has averaged 5.17 progressive passes, 2.59 progressive carries and 0.11 non-penalty goals per 90.
| Ian Maatsen’s statistics per 90 (past year) | Statistic | Percentile rank vs full-backs across Europe |
| Non-penalty goals | 0.11 | Top 3% |
| Pass completion | 85.3% | Top 13% |
| Progressive passes | 5.17 | Top 15% |
| Progressive carries | 2.59 | Top 22% |
| Touches (Att Pen) | 1.86 | Top 27% |
Although the ‘special’ Maatsen has shown he can defend, ranking in the top 20% for blocks and clearances, he’s at his best when driving forward purposefully and firing crosses into Ollie Watkins.
Villa could benefit from having another left-footed player providing ammunition, and it’s perhaps worth trialling him in that role if Ramsey isn’t back after the break.
