After being embarrassed 4-0 by Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on Sunday, Aston Villa must bounce back ahead of their huge European clash against Ajax.
In the first leg, Unai Emery’s side held the Dutch hosts to a drab 0-0 draw, which puts the Villans in a great position to progress this evening.
The game saw just eight shots over 94 minutes of action, with both teams looking to not lose rather than win, but that won’t be the case this time around.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at who the Spaniard could bring into the side to boost Villa's chances of winning.
Ezri Konsa drops out
Last Thursday, Villa defender Ezri Konsa was having a steady game at right back, keeping Kenneth Taylor relatively quiet throughout the game, before moving into centre back for the second half.
The number four was particularly composed on the ball, completing all but one of his 49 passes, giving him a pass accuracy of 98%, and only losing possession on four occasions.
The centre-back by trade wasn’t dribbled past once, but he did only win two of his seven duels and commit four fouls.
Unfortunately, Konsa was booked just before the half-hour mark for a handball, and in the 83rd minute, he received his second yellow card of the game for a controversial foul that could have been a Villa free kick.
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Luckily, Emery has a like-for-like replacement who’s ready to step up and perform.
Why Matty Cash must start against Ajax
Matty Cash did actually feature last week despite not starting in the original lineup, as he replaced Pau Torres at half-time.
The Polish defender came straight in at right back, but he rarely had an opportunity to make an impact, with Ajax having 55% of the ball after the break and Cash making just nine passes.
However, the number two has displayed his ability to influence the game on multiple occasions this campaign, notably at home to Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this season.
Excluding the score line, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see tonight’s game follow a similar pattern to that game against the Seagulls, in terms of Villa remaining patient and looking to hurt Ajax on the break in between spells of possession for the visitors.
Assists
1
Clearances
2
Tackles
6
Ground duels won
9/11
Fouls won
3
As you can see by the table, this approach certainly suits Cash’s profile, as the £80k-per-week defender excelled in the 6-1 win over Roberto De Zerbi’s team in September.
During the game, the “excellent” 26-year-old, as called by StatmanDave, showed his defensive stability mainly via his tackling and ground duel win rate.
Cash – who Emery views as a "perfect" player – also displayed how he can be a threat in the final third, picking up an assist for Ollie Watkins’ opener, and his capacity to drive forward on the counter, which will be vital against Ajax.
Overall, despite being the only replacement for Konsa, Cash has plenty of attributes that make him perfect for the game tonight, and he simply has to start.