Aston Villa have a 32-man squad that have had to balance Premier League, Champions League and cup football so far this season, but there are three players that Unai Emery should be looking to get more out of as the second half of the season approaches
Emery’s first-team squad boasts a great deal of talent and Villa’s well-documented battle with profit and sustainability led to a sell-before-buying transfer strategy in the summer window.
Villa fans have seen players such as Morgan Rogers, Jhon Duran, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne excel this season, but there are three key players that haven’t shown the best version of themselves yet this season.
Emiliano Buendia
Emiliano Buendia has played just 37 minutes in the Premier League so far this season, usually coming off the bench in the final ten minutes of games.
Villa fans will have fond memories of the Argentinian after he made 27 starts for the club during the 2022/23 season before an ACL injury halted his progress.
With Buendia back in the squad, Emery should be looking to get the most out of him as a different type of wide option to rival Leon Bailey and Jaden Philogene.
Buendia may not be the traditional ‘winger’, he doesn’t possess blistering pace or the ability to dazzle a fullback with stepovers, instead he is a great passer of the ball and excellent at pressing high up the itch to win the ball in the opposition half.
| 2022/23 Premier League Season | SCA Per90 | Progressive Carries Per90 | Progressive Passes Per90 | Goals |
| Emiliano Buendia | 3.36 | 2.24 | 5.15 | 5 |
If Emery can bring the level that Buendia showed in the 2022/23 season he’ll have an asset to offer something different in the wide areas.
Jaden Philogene
Jaden Philogene set the Championship alight in his time at Hull terrorising defenders with his dribbling at just 22 years old.
However he has found himself deputising to Leon Bailey for much of the season so far, perhaps to be expected given his age and Bailey’s reputation.
However, with Bailey struggling for form at points this season Emery should have been looking to give Philogene a more consistent run of game to allow him to acclimatise to Premier League football.
Villa fans have seen glimpses of his ability particularly in the Champions League where he hasn’t looked out of place and has performed well.
| 2024/25 Premier League Season | Minutes Played | Shot Creating Actions Per90 | Take On Percentage | Carries into Penalty Area | Average Points per Match |
| Jaden Philogene | 332 | 1.36 | 26.7% | 1.89 | 1.64 |
| Leon Bailey | 731 | 2.34 | 23.3% | 2.59 | 1.57 |
With Bailey playing over double the minutes that Philogene has played and not having hugely better stats, it is time for Philogene to get a consistent run to see exactly what he can do.
Ollie Watkins
Ollie Watkins hasn’t been the same player that was on fire last season leading the league in assists and finishing second in goals.
The Englishman hasn’t been able to recapture that form and with the emergence of Jhon Duran adding more pressure to every performance, Watkins has to find a solution to his below-average form.
| Goals | Assists | Shot on Target Percentage | Pass Completion Percentage | |
| Watkins Premier League 2024/25 season so far | 7 | 3 | 42.9% | 75.8% |
| Watkins Premier League 2023/24 season | 19 | 13 | 43.9% | 75.4% |
The stats show that Watkins isn’t playing drastically worse than last season, but after 15 games it would take a tremendous run of form in the second half of the season to try and match last season’s output.
If Emery wants to repeat the feat of finishing in a top 4 spot, the form of their talisman is vitally important.
