Tammy, Dougie & Salzburg
Following a downbeat performance and loss to Everton, Villa bounced back nicely with big away wins in Istanbul and Newcastle. The side are nicely positioned in the top two of the Europa League heading into the final league phase match tonight and remain third in the Premier League.
The latest run has come at a cost, though. First, Boubacar Kamara had his season ended in the FA Cup tie against Spurs. Then of course John McGinn and Youri Tielemans suffered injuries that will sideline them for long enough to potentially affect the trajectory of the season.
As a result, Villa have somewhat improbably engineered a reunion with Douglas Luiz. He’s had a rough spell since leaving Villa for Juventus, but obviously was a key contributor in his prior tenure at Villa Park. One hopes that slotting back into a side and environment he knows will be a boost to him and the club.
Tammy Abraham is also rejoining in a move that by now seems destined. With Donyell Malen departing to make room, we hope Abraham fits the role Emery envisions more so than he. He certainly is better suited to alternating with Ollie. Again, he’s not had the easiest time of it, but given all the constraining factors, he’s probably about the best Villa could’ve hoped to bring in.
Then I wake up to see Guessand is apparently is off to Palace. I’ve no idea what his departure heralds. We’ve obviously had to sell to buy, so I’m hopeful this means another player coming in. I’ve not been unhappy with the Harry Wilson rumors, but honestly, given the sudden holes in our midfield, I’d be happy to see almost any competent midfielder come in. Bonus points if they’re a goal threat.
The one bit of news I did read that I don’t care for at all is that Real Madrid may be more interested in Emery than Klopp if Arbeloa isn’t kept on and that they’re trying to gauge his ‘availability’. This is troubling because I could easily see Emery being tempted by a return to Spain more so than some of the basket-case clubs he gets linked to in the Prem. On the other hand, these are all high-pressure jobs with lots of meddling and difficult personalities. Emery likely wouldn’t have the same control and it’s hard to see Vinicius Jr, for example, being as willing to listen as Morgan Rogers.
But there’s nothing we can do about that.
What Villa can do is beat Salzburg and gain the home-leg advantage in the Europa knockout stages. It will certainly be Emery’s focus, and would be a significant boost to the rest of that campaign.
Villa then face a reasonably favorable run of league fixtures, but as we can all see, we’re very thin. Getting through to having Youri and SJM back without losing ground in the league will be Emery’s next challenge. It’ll be just about six weeks before the Europa knockout phase begins on March 11, so at least there’s a let up in the frequency of matches and we might be able to get both back at the most critical juncture.
Clearly we’re going to need the best of Buendia, Onana, and Bogarde in the meantime. Onana’s niggles worry me the most. Wouldn’t hurt if Sancho could finally kick on now that he’s netted. I also wouldn’t mind Ross Barkley somehow managing to at least help make up the numbers and provide some rotation.
Anyway. One match at a time and welcome back, Tammy and Doug. Here’s hoping these reunions put a smile on everyone’s faces and help us weather the storm.
Over to you.