Dear Senor Emery,
I have been watching Birmingham's Aston Villa since the days of one of your predecessors, Martin O'Neill. I was new in the states to watching English football and I was looking for who my favorite team would be. Who I would cast my lot with. All the front-runners stateside were going with Man U and Liverpool. Arsenal. Crap like that. That, to me, was like coming to America and automatically liking the Yankees because they already had all the oligarch money. Not me, brother. Martin O'Neill seemed to be getting the most out of an overperforming side and they were finishing around 6th. There was something to root for, room for improvement, and so I cast my lot with the claret and blue.
It has been an up and down ride since the days of Gareth Barry, James Milner and Ashley Young, but rewarding nonetheless. And so it has come to pass that Villa have found the right players and the right owners and the right manager (You're welcome!) at the right time to place the team in the absolute heights of English and European football. This is not meant to be a history lesson. I just think you need to know where I'm coming from. I've been playing and coaching the game for a long time; since the 70s. Since Pele came to America. And you, sir, have probably forgotten more football than I'll ever know. But I've been waiting for you to get the starting XI right and then to use your entire squad in a way that would maximize performance. This is my two cents' worth. Right now, Villa are suffering from Newcastle Disorder. You remember how the Toon rocketed up the Premier League and blasted off for the Champion's League. You also remember that the stress of the toughest league in the world added to games week in and week out against the giants of European football had the effect of hobbling Newcastle that year as they dropped from the European places.
This is happening at Aston Villa. You need a remedy. When you took over from Steven Gerard we could not have hoped for such stunning results. You took the same team that Gerard had hovering around the relegation places and shot us up the table to 7th and into the Europa Conference League and then the following season into the Champion's League. Now, after a year and a half of great success, your style of play at the Villa is no longer surprising anyone, making the sheer amount of games that much more difficult. The grind has resulted in a cascade of injuries that has The Villa hovering around mid-table and missing key components. Pao Torres goes out with a broken metatarsal just as Tyrone Mings is fully available from a year's rehab from knee injury. John McGinn goes off with a hamstring just as Jacob Ramsey returns from one. And so on. In the back, there is no issue with Emi Martinez, arguably the best goal-keeper in the world. But his back line has been in flux as you've had to shift players around. Team defense this year has been porous due to the shifting roles. Now injuries to Torres and Diego Carlos have left us in a precarious position. I believe that Pao Torres is ideal for the Champions' League style of play. But Tyrone Mings is a proper English defender who rules the air inside the penalty area in a way that Torres never could. Mings and Konsa need to be paired in center halves as much as possible and I've gotten my wish because Torres is out now with a broken toe. Mings, at least, is fresh.
Over at right back, Matty Cash will do, but you could stand more cover there. I've seen Cash down on the pitch a number of times holding the back of his legs. Just don't mess unless you've got to. Stability is the key. Konsa is not your right back. Over at left back we've got two guys playing lights out in Lucas Digne and Ian Maatsen. In fact, Maatsen should see every third start in the Prem and Digne should see every third start in the other competitions, sharing gametime and lengthening their periods of rest.
Up in the sitting midfield, Boubakar Kamara is essential, but Amadou Onana should spell him sometimes. Beside Kamara, I very much like Ross Barkley, who is having a resurgent year. Yuri Tielemans is a fine understudy as a # 8, but he's much better as a #10, which would allow Morgan Rogers, who is a beast, some recovery time. In the # 10, you might want to weave in Emi Buendia as well. There is room for everybody, but Buendia is being underused. This leads to injury elsewhere.
Jacob Ramsey is good on the left and you could use Rogers out there as well since Ramsey does go off limping from time to time.
Over on the right, Leon Bailey has been scuffling. (Thanks for the game winner against the Foxes.). And this position, to me, is where John McGinn is best. His Mighty Scottish Bum can certainly play in other roles, but this is where he is at his McGinniest.
When the Scottish imp turns inside, he frees up his good left foot and is always keen on a devastating ball either across the pitch or down the channels, opening up play. This is something Bailey doesn't do as often. PLUS, McGinn holds the ball hundreds of times better than Bailey does. Of late, Leon has been a ball-give-away-machine. Of course, McGinn is out with a hamstring for up to five weeks from overuse. Now watch Bailey go down from overuse in the skipper's absence.
These injuries really weaken Villa. You've got to start using under-utilized players in the squad and taking care to monitor the heavy miles your "regulars" are logging. If you don't want more injuries, you've got to start an equitable time-share that allows that deep squad you have - all of them - to buy into what you're doing. This would sure beat Buendia being frustrated at you for playing only two minutes at a time. It would give him - and others - more purchase in the team. That guy will fight for you if you let him.
Up top, it is not an issue. You have two top strikers in Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran. Ollie should be the front guy, starting two of every three Prem games and one of every three in other competitions. Equity. And if you want to do it, bring on the other guy for the last 30 minutes consistently, thus taking a few more miles off of a striker and putting a great fresh striker in on some weary center halves.
You have enough players right now to make it work. It isn't ideal, but it's a far better team than Martin O'Neill had back in 2006.
You host West Ham on January 10 in the F.A. Cup. You visit Everton on January 15 and then Arsenal on the 18th in the Prem and then you're off to Monaco in the Champion's League on the 21st.
That's four games in 11 days, three of them on the road. If you use your players in such a way to limit fatigue, you should win three of them. Now wouldn't that make The Villa's away form seem improved?
Unai. Please. USE the squad.
P.S: We think you are handsome and have very good hair.
Sincerely,
Your state-side friends
Culture and Criticism . com
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