Emi Buendia ‘should be nowhere near the Aston Villa starting XI’ after what he did vs Brentford
Aston Villa suffered a second consecutive home defeat in the Premier League in a huge blow to their title hopes.
Unai Emery’s side were outsiders for the Premier League title, but Brentford‘s 1-0 win at Villa Park means they are now seven points behind leaders Arsenal.
Despite Kevin Schade’s first half red card, Brentford snatched all three points thanks to a Dango Ouattara goal on the stroke of half-time.
Aston Villa may have been temped to agree late January signings to boost their title hopes, but the club are still in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Emi Buendia ‘poor’ in Aston Villa defeat
Emery has been praised for the job that he has done at Aston Villa, which has made the Spaniard the target of many clubs over the past few seasons.
Fans though were left questioning the manager’s decision against Brentford not to sub off Emi Buendia, with supporters believing the 29-year-old was struggling to make an impact on the game.
Buendia missed one big chance, won just two of his nine aerial duels and committed two fouls, as supporters believed Jadon Sancho deserved to stay on the pitch.
Sancho was instead substituted for Harvey Elliott with 13 minutes remaining, as Aston Villa chased a late equaliser, which they could not find.
The 25-year-old’s future at Villa Park is uncertain after his loan spell expires, with his contract at Man United also expiring in the summer, but his performance pleased the home support.
Tammy Abraham makes debut vs Brentford
Tammy Abraham, who re-joined Aston Villa in the January window, made his second debut for the club against Brentford.
The striker thought he had equalised just four minutes into the second half, but Aston Villa were denied by VAR.
Ollie Watkins missed the game due to injury, meaning Emery did not have the 30-year-old to call upon in the second half.
Emery was also without the likes of Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara due to injuries.
Amid financial restrictions though it is unlikely that Aston Villa will make a signing on deadline day to strengthen their squad depth.