Aston Villa’s smash and grab win over Arsenal on the weekend reignited their top four ambitions after it looked like Tottenham Hotspur were going to derail their Champions League dreams.
This means Villa enter the second leg of their Conference League clash against Lille having won two games on the spin for the first time since early March, and it could be the tonic they need to secure a place in the semifinals.
Several players stood up to the challenge against the Gunners, but Unai Emery could still make a few changes to his starting XI ahead of Thursday evening's clash.
Moussa Diaby failed to inspire his side on the weekend, indicating that he may drop out of the lineup for the second leg.
Moussa Diaby’s statistics vs Arsenal
The Frenchman was given a start by Emery, deployed on the right of a four-man midfield, and tasked with creating chances for Ollie Watkins throughout the match.
He couldn’t really get into the game, however, managing just 22 touches, 13 passes and zero key passes during his spell on the pitch.
Goals
0
Assists
0
Key passes
0
Dribble attempts (successful)
2 (0)
Total duels (won)
5 (2)
The winger also failed with both of his dribble attempts, along with delivering zero successful crosses and winning only two of his five total duels contested.
With the score finely poises at 0-0, the Spaniard switched things up slightly in the hope that Villa could go on and score a late winner, introducing Leon Bailey for the former Bayer Leverkusen gem.
The move clearly worked a treat.
Leon Bailey’s game in numbers vs Arsenal
The £120k-per-week star had previously scored 12 goals and grabbed 12 assists prior to the Arsenal tie, counting himself unlucky to be on the bench against the Gunners.
Hailed as "special" by journalist Bence Bocsak – who also lauded him for having an “amazing season” this term – Bailey came on with just under half an hour to go as Emery looked for the winger to make a difference.
Make a difference he did. With just six minutes of normal time remaining, Bailey scored Villa’s opening goal – his 13th of the season – before Watkins netted the clincher to seal a famous 2-0 win.
During his 30-minute cameo, the 26-year-old succeeded with 50% of his dribble attempts, took 18 touches and completed 80% of his passes.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
He also won three of his five duels contested and looked like a man full of confidence, which led to him finding the back of the net once again.
He should certainly come back into the starting XI in place of Diaby against Lille in what will be a tense match, with potentially a single moment of brilliance separating the two clubs.
Bailey could provide this moment of magic and propel Villa into their first European semi-final since the 1982 European Cup.
If he does, his season will go from great to fantastic, and he has certainly emerged as one of the club’s most important players throughout the current campaign.
If he can spearhead Villa to continental glory along with claiming fourth place in the top flight, he could go down in the history books.
Tielemans isn't the only Villa star who's just made himself undroppable
Aston Villa secured a famous win over Arsenal on Sunday as two players shone in particular
ByRoss KilvingtonApr 15, 2024
