Aston Villa’s focus will switch back to the Premier League this weekend as they take on Champions League hopefuls Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Aston Villa clinched a controversial 0-0 draw with Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Villans were denied a late Morgan Rogers winner by VAR after Diego Carlos was adjudged to have fouled Michele Di Gregorio before he spilt the ball.
It was a VAR call Unai Emery described as ‘soft’, with Aston Villa watching their winless run extend to seven matches as a result.
Emery will be desperate to his longest-ever streak in management without a victory, and according to former Arsenal striker Paul Merson, the Spaniard must make three major changes.
- READ MORE: What Francisco Conceicao said about Emi Martinez’s save after Aston Villa’s draw v Juventus
Paul Merson criticises Aston Villa’s defence
Aston Villa equalled Chelsea’s Champions League record of keeping three sheets in each of their first three home games in the competition.
Emi Martinez is in the hunt for the Golden Glove after shutting out the opposition in four of his five matches, including on Wednesday night.
In the Premier League, though, it’s a completely different story for Villa, who have kept just one clean sheet – a goalless draw against Manchester United.
Stan Collymore criticised Emery’s gameplan in the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace last weekend, as the Eagles exploited Villa’s shaky defence and high line.
This is a problem Merson also outlined in his prediction for Sportskeeda, citing how much they ‘struggled’ without Ezri Konsa.
“It’s funny how things change so quickly in football,” Merson wrote. “Aston Villa were flying along a few weeks ago and look at them now. They are without a win in their last six games in all competitions!’
“Villa have definitely lost their way a little bit. They struggled without Ezri Konsa in the last game. The back-four looked shaky against Crystal Palace and their high line did not work.”
Paul Merson tells Aston Villa how to stop Cole Palmer
Merson hinted at Konsa being included in the starting XI at Stamford Bridge this Sunday, and he’s also told Emery how he can shut down Cole Palmer.
The Chelsea magician is influential to everything Enzo Maresca’s side do in attack, scoring seven and assisting five in the Premier League this term.
Palmer will cause Villa huge problems, especially if Youri Tielemans and Ross Barkley start as a double pivot, with Merson outlining their lack of ball-winning attributes.
“Youri Tielemans and Ross Barkley played as the two midfielders in that 2-2 draw with Palace,” he said.
“If they both start against Chelsea, Cole Palmer will find plenty of space to operate with. Both Tielemans and Barkley are more ball-playing midfielders than the ones that can shut down Palmer.”
Emery could have the answer to the above problem by starting Boubacar Kamara next to Tielemans after he flourished in the Champions League against Juventus.
| Key Passes | PA% | Aerials won | Touches | Total tackles | Inter | Accurate LB | Rating |
| 1 | 83.3 | 3 | 52 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6.79 |
Kamara ran the show for Villa in midfield, controlling the tempo of the game with his quality passing range and stopping Juventus attacks with his defensive awareness.
For the visitors to shutdown Palmer and Chelsea, just as they did last season, the 25-year-old has to start at the base of midfield.
