Unai Emery will have several decisions to make when picking his Aston Villa squad ahead of Thursday’s crucial clash with Olympiacos, with one major problem needing to be solved.
Aston Villa have a steep hill to climb on Thursday night, as Unai Emery’s side must overturn a two-goal deficit in order to progress into the Europa Conference League final.
The Midlands club have made the second leg of the tie hard for themselves after losing 4-2 to the Greek side at Villa Park last week, a shock result that saw the hosts’ game plan figured out by hattrick hero, Ayoub El Kaabi.
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For starters, Villa must ensure that Olympiacos’ devastatingly clinical attack is kept quiet in Piraeus to be in with a chance of progressing, with goals to be scored to make up for the nightmare that unfolded in Birmingham.
That being said, before focusing on the fundamentals, Emery has been alerted to one key problem his side must solve before learning their European fate.
Aston Villa told they have a problem ahead of Olympiacos clash
As seen during Villa’s dull defeat to Brighton last time out, Emery has been stripped of his attacking resources, with Morgan Rogers’ premature exit not helping against the Seagulls.
The absence of Youri Tielemans also caused an issue for the attack, which became unbalanced as Matty Cash was forced to play on the right side of midfield, seeing Leon Bailey shift over to the left, where he was largely ineffective.
Speaking on the Claret and Blue podcast in preparation for Thursday night’s blockbuster game, journalist John Townley raised the issue of the imbalance on the right side seen against Brighton.
“The thought of putting Bailey over there [on the left] doesn’t sit right with me because Diaby’s not hitting it off in every game, he combines well with Bailey on the right.
“That left side is a problem, what do we do there? Zaniolo, maybe if he’s fit and comfortable. It’s a real shame because it disrupts the balance. “
The Villa expert’s concern is viable considering how explosive Bailey has been on the right side of attack this season, particularly on the subject of how he combines with Moussa Diaby, who played well off the Jamaican in the first leg.
While Villa’s current options in attack are incredibly low, there could be one solution to maintain the balance on the right, without forfeiting quality.
Why Alex Moreno must start against Olympiacos
Emery could keep the threat of Bailey and Diaby intact on the right by making a tweak to the left side.
If Rogers is not fit to feature against Olympiacos, the manager could be tempted to play Alex Moreno with Lucas Digne on the left, a trick that has worked well before by exploiting the £13m Spaniard’s directness in the final third.
Lauded as ‘dangerous’ earlier this season for his ability to make his presence known in attack, Moreno could be the key to Villa solving their injury crisis, keeping the likes of Bailey and Diaby comfortable in their favoured positions and utilising a player with experience on the left.
It could be a strong decision for the manager to make, with Digne and Moreno also providing defensive cover, having the skillset to interchange between who goes forward and who sits, making for a rigid combination on the left side.
Only time will tell just how Emery’s side will be able to line up in Greece based on the latest instalment of injury news, with Moreno’s adaptability surely something to capitalise on at this time.
