Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has explained one of his selection calls during the Villans’ 1-1 draw with West Ham on Sunday afternoon, as Jhon Duran made his full Premier League debut.
Aston Villa were arguably the happier party to walk away from the London Stadium with a point, as the Villans drew 1-1 with West Ham in the Premier League.
Goals from Michail Antonio and Nicolo Zaniolo didn’t represent the only times that the ball hit the back of the net, as the hosts had two goals disallowed for handball by VAR.
Unai Emery will be relieved to have seen VAR overturn the two goals however, questions were asked over the decision to not award Villa a penalty in the first half for the same offence.
Officiating aside, it was a below-par performance from the Midlands club, who looked slightly jaded from their antics against Ajax on Thursday but still secured a vital point in the top-four race.
Unai Emery explains his squad selection against West Ham
Speaking to the media after his side’s draw away from home, Emery was quizzed about his selection.
The Spaniard made the decision to start Jhon Duran alongside Ollie Watkins to lead the line, seeing Moussa Diaby miss out once again despite his impressive display against Ajax on Thursday.
As relayed by journalist Jacob Tanswell, the manager explained his call to partner Duran with Watkins in what was a quiet game for the duo.
“We didn’t take control like we wanted. Maybe with other players, it would have been the same.”
“The first half we were not connecting very well down the right side and we had to change. But Diaby felt comfortable playing as the No 10.”
Moussa Diaby must become a starter once again under Unai Emery
While Duran also found himself on the scoresheet in midweek to warrant his starting place, Diaby was the figure that was perhaps expected to partner Watkins in East London.
It was a difficult climate for the strikers to perform in at the London Stadium, with Duran being withdrawn at half-time after making just 13 touches on the ball.
Emery recognised the challenge that his side had faced in the first half of the contest, explaining his decision to make the changes from the starting XI which proved to be the correct call as the second half unfolded.
In the 79th minute, it was Diaby who created the chance to see Zaniolo score to earn Villa a crucial point, with the Frenchman’s claim to return to the starting lineup now made even stronger.
While Duran can’t be blamed for his lack of involvement in the game as the visitors struggled throughout, Diaby has proved his worth over the past few games to surely see him in contention to start against Wolves.
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