Injuries have ravaged Aston Villa’s season from the first day at Newcastle United in August.
From the moment Tyrone Mings was forced off at St James’ Park, Unai Emery’s situation has gone from bad to worse. The Spaniard has openly admitted it’s been a situation unheard of in his managerial career to date.
However, the lack of availability could now force the Aston Villa boss to experiment with his starting XI and potentially unleash a combination that should have been used more often.
Leon Bailey has arguably been Villa’s best player this season. 16 goal contributions have seen the Jamaican dramatically turn his fortunes around after a reasonably abject start to life in the West Midlands.
The 26-year-old has openly admitted he struggled under Steven Gerrard and suggested there were issues. “The previous coach I had issues with the coaches. Things weren’t clicking,” he said [Let’s Be Honest Podcast].
Emery’s influence has been significant, but the Villa boss could get even more out of the in-form winger.
How often have Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby played together for Aston Villa?
Bailey’s former teammate at Bayer Leverkusen, Moussa Diaby, has endured a stop-start first season at Villa Park. Four goals and six assists have been a decent return, but it could certainly have been more.
The pair were used regularly together during their time in the Bundesliga, registering eight goal contributions together, scoring or assisting the other, for example.
However, according to Transfermarkt’s calculations, the duo spends, on average, 33 minutes a game on the pitch together this season. Despite the lack of playing time together, Diaby has assisted Bailey once and vice versa.
The Jamaican has also admitted he enjoys playing with the 24-year-old despite them both operating in the same area of the pitch.
Emery could be missing a trick here.
Will the Aston Villa duo feature together against Wolves?
Villa do have some selection dilemmas to contend with ahead of the Wolverhampton Wanderers clash, which could allow the duo to start.
Jacob Ramsey is recovering from a foot injury sustained during the win over Luton Town; although it’s not considered severe, there’s still doubt over his involvement against Gary O’Neil’s side.
If the 22-year-old is out, a spot for Diaby is certainly up for grabs. Furthermore, with John McGinn suspended, Youri Tielemans could be forced deeper, freeing up another space behind Ollie Watkins.
An opportunity could be about to present itself, which the Frenchman cannot pass up.
