Aston Villa enjoyed another great evening under the Villa Park lights after they beat Bologna in the Champions League.
Unai Emery’s stock continues to rise, even though it went through the roof a very long time ago because this team continues to improve and stick their chest out.
Many Aston Villa players are shining brightly under his stewardship and many of them are getting plaudits left, right and centre.
Take your pick from Villa’s 2-0 win over Bologna from Tuesday night, with captain John McGinn getting on the scoresheet, alongside rising superstar, Jhon Duran.
But Gabby Agbonlahor was left frustrated with one player on the night and how he is seemingly underperforming in the Claret & Blue colours.
Leon Bailey needs to do ‘a lot more’ for Aston Villa
Last season, Leon Bailey was one of Villa’s best players and it was the best season of his career to date.
But during this campaign, that spark or threatening play in the attacking third isn’t there and it was displayed against Bologna.
Agbonlahor stressed on Twitter that he doesn’t just need to improve, but he needs to do ‘a lot more’ for the team.
“Leon Bailey I need more man,” said Agbonlahor. “I really need a lot more.”
Leon Bailey’s stats
Emery stated in September that Bailey is playing with an injury and you wonder if that is still the case, even though he wasn’t on international duty recently and rested his body.
But, to put it simply, during these early stages, the stats don’t make for good reading, with a rating of under six in the Champions League and 6.43 in the Premier League alone, according to WhoScored.
| Tournament | Apps | Mins | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Shots per game | Pass Success % | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League Cup | 1 | 62 | – | – | – | 1 | 84.2 | 6.87 |
| Premier League | 6(1) | 413 | – | 1 | 2 | 1 | 76.6 | 6.43 |
| Champions League | 1(1) | 98 | – | – | – | 0.5 | 61.5 | 5.97 |
| CONCACAF Gold Cup Jamaica | 2 | N/A | – | N/A | – | N/A | N/A | – |
| Total / Average | 12 | 573 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.9 | 74.3 | 6.39 |
Jaden Philogene is banging on the Villa door and many will now be crying for the rising winger to start ahead of Bailey.
That won’t happen at the weekend because Philogene is suspended for the Bournemouth match after picking up two yellows during Villa’s impressive win over Fulham.
