Aston Villa are eight points clear of sixth place in their fight to secure qualification for the Champions League by the end of the Premier League season.
The Villans also have to contend with still being in the Europa League, as they face Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals of the competition later this month.
Unai Emery is an experienced manager who knows how to deal with competing across two competitions at the business end of the campaign, so supporters should have faith in his decisions.
The Spaniard knows when to rotate and when not to rotate to ensure that his players are in the best possible condition to compete in both the Premier League and the Europa League.
With that in mind, the former Villarreal boss could drop attacking midfielder Ross Barkley to the bench for Saturday’s clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Why Aston Villa should drop Ross Barkley against Fulham
The former England international was named in the starting line-up in the 4-3 win over Sunderland last weekend, but ended the match without a goal or an assist to his name after 70 minutes of action.
It was only the fourth start of the season for Barkley in the Premier League, and his performances explained why he has not been a regular for the Villans.
The English talent struggled out of possession, losing six of his eight duels, and was too slow to close down Chris Rigg for Sunderland’s first goal, as he failed to deal with the intensity of the game.
Barkley’s play on the ball for Villa did not make up for his defensive and physical shortfalls, as the former Everton and Chelsea man created zero chances in more than an hour on the pitch.
The 32-year-old midfielder has now produced two goals and no assists in 18 appearances in all competitions for the Villans this season, which is far from an impressive return.
Emery should, therefore, drop the underwhelming attacking midfielder from the starting line-up to provide another player with a chance to impress against Fulham.
The Aston Villa star who should replace Ross Barkley against Fulham
Villa play Forest in the first leg of their European semi-final next Thursday and the Spanish boss could unleash a star who is becoming his own Jack Grealish.
Whilst a player like Morgan Rogers could be compared to Grealish, Argentine playmaker Emiliano Buendia is the most similar player to the former Villa superstar in the way that he plays.
The England international was a magician during his time at Villa, providing 43 assists in 213 games, and no player has more assists for the club in the Europa League this season than Buendia.
|
25/26 Europa League |
Emi Buendia |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
12 |
|
xG |
1.92 |
|
Goals |
2 |
|
Big chances created |
3 |
|
Assists |
4 |
|
Key passes |
16 |
A return of six goal contributions in 12 games shows that the former Norwich sensation, who was described as “magical” by Talk Norwich City’s Jack Reeve, has been on fire in Europe.
He was benched for the clash with Sunderland last time out, though, which is why Emery should bring him back in for this game against Fulham to ensure that he is sharp and ready for Forest on Thursday night.
Buendia, who scored against Bologna in the last Europa League match, has also scored five goals and provided two assists in 18 starts in the Premier League, which shows that he has been more productive than Barkley in domestic fixtures.
The 29-year-old magician should come into the team on the left flank, with John McGinn on the right and Morgan Rogers in the middle as the number ten, and drift infield from the left to be a creative threat, just as Grealish did during his time at Villa.
Dean Smith unlocked Grealish’s potential by playing him off the left flank at first, allowing him to drift into space to pick up the ball and create for his teammates, and that is how Emery has unlocked Buendia this season.
With a European semi-final on the horizon, Villa will need the Argentina international to be at his best heading into that match and that is why Emery could drop Barkley from the line-up to unleash him as a starter against Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.
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