Unai Emery’s biggest Aston Villa selection problem just got MUCH easier

Aston Villa’s biggest selection problem resolved itself when they beat Young Boys in the Europa League on Thursday.

With everyone in the squad fit apart from Tyrone Mings, Villa manager Unai Emery has had a few puzzles to solve.

The centre of midfield is bursting at the seams, with captain John McGinn now routinely shunted upfield to allow two of Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana to play together.

Even that leaves one player out of the side when Emery would surely prefer to have them all involved. That’s what football folk refer to as a ‘nice problem to have’ – it’s not, really, but it’s better than the alternative.

Donny at the double again

There’s a third kind of selection problem managers face. Sometimes they have too many players in one position, sometimes too few. Sometimes it’s a matter of one excellent player not performing and one in-form understudy not being a perfect fit to replace them.

That’s the situation facing Emery in the case of striker Ollie Watkins.

Watkins has been unbelievable for Villa since he joined from Brentford five years ago. He’s the club’s record Premier League goalscorer and has led the line in a team that’s qualified for European football three years in a row after also contributing when things were rather more tricky.

He’s earned our trust and patience. The Villa supporters singing his name at Villa Park when he came on as a substitute against Young Boys on Thursday made very clear that he still has both.

But he’s undeniably out of form. The goals have dried up and the performances have followed, to a lesser extent. Donyell Malen is making a case to usurp him that can no longer be ignored.

Before Watkins joined the fray on Thursday, Malen scored twice to put the Europa League game beyond Young Boys. They were both superb finishes. All of Malen’s six goals this season have been.

It’s time for Emery to bite the bullet over key selection problem

The Netherlands international is Villa’s second-choice striker but he isn’t really suitable for the role in Villa’s system. His few deployments there this season have been his weakest performances.

While he has been able to have an impact on results, the idea that Malen falls between the cracks tactically seems to have some weight.

But this is football and football is nuanced. Young Boys didn’t offer much in the way of opposition but Villa were able to play to Malen’s strengths as a number 9. He was everything in the middle that he’s been in his fleeting chances as a second striker.

If Villa need or choose to play in a way that suits Watkins, Malen isn’t the player to unseat him at centre-forward. Watkins has skills Malen doesn’t and they are important ones. It’s why he’s been kept in the team – if he can rediscover his form, Watkins is a formidable one-man strike force.

But Malen has now kicked the door down with an excellent performance up front on his own and he’s timed it perfectly.

Villa’s most potent goal threat warrants another start in the Premier League now, not with Watkins but instead of him. His performances and effectiveness demand it, and with Villa’s next opponents being a struggling team visiting Villa Park, the time is right to look at the option again.

If Malen is selected as a striker against Wolverhampton Wanderers, it’s imperative that Villa play in such a way as to get he best out of him. He isn’t Watkins. Turning to Malen means Villa must adapt their methods. Playing Wolves at home is a chance to explore that too.

It gives me no pleasure to say it but Emery has to rip off the plaster.

It might not work out. I’m willing to bet Wolves are a better team than Young Boys, for starters. But Malen is the man in form and the moment has arrived to reward it and see how far he can go.

Read more about Donyell Malen
➡️ Aston Villa forward backs himself to ‘always come out on top’
➡️ Reigniting the crazy potential of Aston Villa ‘forgotten man’ Donyell Malen
➡️ Aston Villa forward speaks out over Champions League adversity

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