Aston Villa will be well-prepared for their Europa Conference League duel with LOSC Lille this evening, however, Unai Emery has now been prompted to make a key change to help one player in particular.
Villa Park will tonight play host to the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-final as Aston Villa welcome LOSC Lille to Birmingham.
Unai Emery will hope to add to his impressive collection of European silverware in his managerial career although, the Spaniard will have the difficult task of overcoming the Ligue 1 outfit before dreaming of more success.
Having conceded just under half the number of goals as the Villans in their respective league this season, the boss will see his attack’s quality truly tested against Paulo Fonseca’s well-oiled defence.
It will be a fascinating contest to watch unfold over the two legs, with both sides capable of playing exciting football as seen over the 2023/24 calendar.
For now, the manager will have a decision to make when it comes to squad selection as the Villans continue to juggle the Premier League and the Conference League, with one area of selection up for debate ahead of tonight.
Unai Emery told of Aston Villa selection choice that will help Douglas Luiz
Emery will be relieved to have his midfield available for selection this evening, with the area being disjointed of late in the Premier League.
Boubacar Kamara’s season-ending ACL injury was then followed by John McGinn’s three-match suspension, now to be followed by Douglas Luiz’s pending two-game suspension.
This evening, the boss will have McGinn and Luiz available however, journalist John Townley shared his thoughts on how Emery should line the midfield up, pushing the Villa skipper upfield to accommodate Tim Iroegbunam.
Speaking on the Claret and Blue podcast, Townley said:
“Luiz can create, I think he needs that license.”
“I don’t like him playing deep and he does have the license to go forward but playing against a team that likes to counterattack, I’d rather have him allowed to do that, rather than thinking ‘McGinn’s gone forward so I’ve got to come back’.”
“Tim would be there as the shield.”
How Tim Iroegbunam can help Douglas Luiz against Lille
Townley’s points are valid, despite Iroegbunam’s lack of senior experience at Aston Villa.
Recently, Emery branded the midfielder’s increase in gametime as “important”, as he started away to Ajax in the round of 16.
Tim Iroegbunam defensive statistics in the 22/23 Championship, via Sofascore:
- 2.0 tackles per game
- 4.2 ground duels won per game
- 1.0 aerial duels won per game
The 20-year-old certainly has the defensive capability to act as a shield in front of the defence, giving an anchor-like presence to the engine room which would, as a result, allow Luiz to venture forward.
In the Premier League, no Villa player averages more key passes per game than the £15m Brazilian, who averages a stellar 1.6 per game, via WhoScored, telling of his ability to unlock defences from midfield.
Considering how well-equipped Lille are at the back, Townley’s suggestion may be a viable option for the manager to consider to break down Fonseca’s side.
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