Aston Villa: Sensational £70k-p/w gem must start over McGinn
Unai Emery is expected to rotate his squad for the Carabao Cup challenge against Everton, and could cause the Blues problems with one star…
Aston Villa return to action on Wednesday night, when they host Everton at Villa Park in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
The Spaniard will be hoping that his team can reproduce their impressive performance against the Toffees last month in the Premier League, when the Blues were swept away 4-0 by the Midlands giants.
What changes could Unai Emery make to the Villa squad?
It’s almost certain that Emery will rotate his squad ahead of the league cup fixture, which will mark his squad’s third game in just six days, after featuring in the Europa Conference League last Thursday.
Sunday’s 1-0 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge reset the standard after Villa’s disappointing performance in the Conference League, in which the Spaniard’s rotated squad lost 3-2 to Legia Warsaw in Poland.
Back on home soil on Wednesday, it appears like a similar group to the one that played in Europe will be used, with noteworthy adjustments.
Robin Olsen, who started between the posts against Hibernian in the Conference League qualifying round, might get the nod over Emiliano Martinez in goal to give the Argentine a rest.
Calum Chambers, who struggled against Legia last week, could be given an opportunity to redeem himself over Matty Cash at right back for similar reasons.
As he continues to wait for his first Premier League start as a Villan, Youri Tielemans could be given the time to shine in the cup, as the Belgian continues to search for a way into the starting 11 in competition with the trusted Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara.
Another midfield alteration that might occur is the return of Jacob Ramsey, who suffered a broken metatarsal during the U21 European Championships this summer and could make his full return to the squad.
John McGinn could be the man to make way for the Englishman, considering that the Scotsman has featured nine times already this term and could benefit from a rest from the starting lineup.
Should Jacob Ramsey start against Everton?
Emery will be thrilled to see Ramsey back in the fold after missing the start of the season due to his heroics last season, in which he scored six goals and registered seven assists in the Premier League during Villa’s pursuit of a European finish.
The 22-year-old jewel, previously described as “sensational” by The Athletic columnist Gregg Evans, could give a lot of benefits to the Villans’ midfield in place of McGinn, with the capacity to cause Everton genuine difficulties.
As FBref points out, the £70k-a-week academy graduate is more direct in the final third than the club captain, averaging 3.21 progressive carries and 0.20 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes in the league last season.
In instance, McGinn averaged 1.14 progressive carries and 0.03 non-penalty goals per 90 that season, while also falling short in the playmaking aspect, with 0.60 critical passes to Ramsey’s 1.43.
Villa brushed the Toffees aside when they last met, which could create the perfect environment for the Englishman to make his return, in a fixture that could see him exert his quality on Everton and regain his match fitness against a Premier League opponent.
