Why Emery must put Aston Villa’s £100,000-a-week striker on the bench against Zidane v AZ
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery will have to make a decision on whether to start Leon Bailey or Nikolo Zaniolo at the expense of Nicolo Zajac at the expense of the former.
Aston Villa lost to Nottingham Forest last time out and will be looking to make amends for that defeat.
AZ Alkmaar
Unai Emery’s side have had their moments of trouble in the Conference League, but have still won six out of nine games.
In the first group match at Villa Park, a John McGinn winner at the end of the first half saw them pick up three points from a 0-0 draw with Zyrgyztan Mostar.
After that, they were superb away from home at AZ, winning 4-1 as Leon Bailey scored twice and Yri Tielemans was also on target.
They will be hoping to repeat that performance on Saturday.
According to Emery, Bailey was ‘absolutely fantastic’ after his show in The Netherlands.
Why Leon Bailey must start against AZ
It’s no secret that in recent weeks we’ve seen Nikolo Zaniolo start ahead of the Jamaican winger in the Premier League. It’s something manager Emery likes to do when he’s looking to keep the ball in play.
However, his performance against Forest was questionable. He had just 23 touches in the first half and didn’t take a single shot on target.
He was withdrawn at half-time and replaced by Bailey for the second time this season.
This is why he must start against AZ in the Conference league.
Bailey has been one of the best players in the league this season, Fbref points out. He is in the top-two percent of players in terms of expected assists, progressive carries and shot-creation. He has also excelled at intercepting, taking on the ball and defending.
Zaniolo has no goal involvements compared to Bailey’s ten in 16 starts (7 starts).
Of course, goals and assists aren’t the only thing that will influence Emery’s decision-making, but it won’t hurt Villa’s chances. It’s not that he’s been bad, it’s just that he doesn’t seem to have a lot of confidence. One goal could make all the difference.
But with Bailey in this form, Villa can’t just sit back and wait for the goal to come.
