Unai Emery has plenty of attacking options to choose from as he looks to plot Aston Villa’s route into the top four.
Despite the damaging 2-1 loss to Manchester United, the Villans are still only point adrift of Tottenham, who occupy the elusive fourth spot.
Emery brought on Moussa Diaby late into the fixture on Sunday evening. However, the Frenchman was unable to make a significant impact.
It was clear that Villa’s attack was blunted when Leon Bailey left the field in the 73rd minute.
“This is a tactical change, and of course, how we are trying to get of Bailey is being fantastic. Hopefully he can continue improving and keeping being strong and progressively better,” Emery told Birmingham Live.
The Jamaican has stood out during the 2023/24 season, scoring seven goals and registering six assists.
As per FotMob, Bailey managed to create two big chances and six touches in the opposition box during the Manchester United fixture.
The winger’s performances have caught the eye, and it’s exciting to see the 26-year-old put pen to paper on a new contract at Villa Park.
Bailey’s new contract now means he is firmly within Emery’s plans – and it’s up to Diaby to step up.
The 24-year-old has registered four goals and four assists since completing his club-record move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer – a reported fee of £52million.
Having been in and out of the side, Diaby faces a battle to become a regular feature within Emery’s plans, with Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn ahead of him in the pecking order.
The Frenchman’s performance level hasn’t gone unnoticed, with BBC Sport pundit Stephen Warnock expressing concern.
“Behind Watkins, Moussa Diaby’s form has dipped too, and he has been involved far less,” he told BBC Sport.
“He started Villa’s first 13 league games of the season but, although he has appeared in all 15 games they have played in all competitions since the start of December, he has come off the bench in eight of them.
“They have missed having him at his best, but they are still creating opportunities – as we saw against United when they had enough chances to win the game.”
The former Leverkusen winger – who was once lauded as “skilful” by France boss Didier Deschamps – now must show his worth during the latter stages of the season, with Bailey firmly ahead of him in Emery’s thoughts.
Nevertheless, this seems like a good problem for the Spaniard to have. Strength in depth is vital for any side looking to break into the top four, and that’s exactly what Villa currently have.
