Aston Villa boss Unai Emery had gone with an unchanged side for several weeks, but he’s finally receiving timely boosts on the fitness front.
Villa were able to welcome back Boubacar Kamara for a brief appearance against Wolves this past weekend, while Diego Carlos got a significant shift under his belt after a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious injury.
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With our performance level dropping off in the last four games, which in turn has seen us stumble in our push for European football next season, it was imperative that we got fresh legs back for the run-in, and although it may well prove to be too late, there’s a renewed optimism heading into the three remaining encounters.
Time will tell if Carlos is given an opportunity to build on his outing on Saturday, as he put in a positive effort in his 25-minute appearance after eight months out, but it’s an important option for us if Emery wishes to rotate and identifies an area in which the centre-half can have a bigger influence on our collective display against certain opposition.
Tottenham, Liverpool and Brighton await in a difficult end to the Premier League campaign, but Carlos certainly now looks ready to take on a bigger role and the responsibility that comes with that, and his technical quality and passing ability will no doubt be key elements in Emery’s desired style of play and demand for control against some top opposition.
Meanwhile, although Kamara was limited to just 10 minutes or so after a six-game absence, his influence in both phases of the game for us is significant, and so if that was enough for him to shed any rust and build his fitness to a level where he’s in contention to start against Tottenham, then that would be a huge boost for Villa.
Leander Dendoncker has done an excellent job deputising, as has John McGinn when shifted inside, but Kamara’s defensive qualities and ability on the ball are tailor-made for the way Emery wants us to play and control games, while he also has a positive influence on those around him too with McGinn and Douglas Luiz likely to relish the freedom he affords them.
It’s hoped that Matty Cash isn’t far off making his own return and he will hopefully be available against Spurs to inject some fresh energy and impetus down our right side, while Philippe Coutinho will hope to get off the bench this weekend too and impact the game if possible.
There has been a sense that Villa have run out of steam after a brilliant run of form put us in a great position. However, if there was a time to find a second wind, coupled with the return of key individuals, it’s now. With Kamara and Carlos potentially ready to play a big part in our ‘final’ against Tottenham as Emery put it, it should give all concerned a major lift ahead of a crunch showdown.