Unai Emery has been speaking after he saw his Aston Villa side humbled by Manchester City on Wednesday evening.
Pep Guardiola’s men were in scintillating form at The Etihad, with Phil Foden netting a hat trick in the 4-1 win.
The hosts took the lead in a fairly even first half as Rodri fired home a cross from Jeremy Doku. However, Unai Emery’s side posed a threat throughout and drew level courtesy of a clever finish from Jhon Duran.
However, Foden’s free-kick on the stroke of halftime, accompanied by second-half finishes, kept the hosts firmly in the hunt for the Premier League title.
Emery handed opportunities to some of his fringe players in what was a much-changed side. And the Spaniard has since addressed how vital the fixture was.
Unai Emery drops ‘important’ claim on Aston Villa gem
With Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez out, the Spaniard handed starts to Duran and Robin Olsen. Elsewhere, Nicolo Zaniolo was selected in place of the in-form Leon Bailey, who dropped to the bench.
Another alteration saw Tim Iroegbunam given his first Premier League start of the season, and the Villa boss has shared an important message on the 20-year-old.
“We have to give players minutes. Like Tim – every minute he plays is important,” he said [via The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell.
“Zaniolo will hopefully be available to play Saturday.”
How did Tim Iroegbunam play against Manchester City?
It was certainly a challenging game for the midfielder to make his first league start. City, on their day, can tear any side in the world apart, and they were certainly in the mood on Wednesday evening.
During his 63-minute cameo, Iroegbunam completed 12/14 passes and touched the ball 28 times, which is to be expected against the Premier League champions [stats per FotMob].
He could’ve played forward more often, having only completed one pass into the final third. Furthermore, from a defensive standpoint, the Villa youngster was tested. The 20-year-old won one of his three tackles and lost six of his ten duels.
Learning curves don’t come much steeper, and it’s essential that the youngster uses his experience against City to develop his game moving forward.
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