Aston Villa’s start to the new campaign ended in miserable fashion at Newcastle Utd on Saturday, and the absence of a key duo was certainly felt as we continue to get hit by injuries.
Unai Emery saw both Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings go down with what are seemingly long-term setbacks this week, further limiting his options given several key individuals were already in the treatment room.
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Among them are Jacob Ramsey and Alex Moreno, and the pair’s influence and reliability were undoubtedly missed down our left flank at St James’ Park this weekend.
While that wasn’t the only issue we had as we managed to impress without them in pre-season, it was a significant contributing factor as to why we didn’t look as effective as we have done previously and on a more consistent basis in competitive games.
Moreno’s attacking qualities and effectiveness in going forward gives us a different dynamic in the opposition’s half, while also allowing us to have a better balance in defence with a settled back-three alongside him rather than having to constantly search for the right combinations.
As for Ramsey, with six goals and eight assists in 38 appearances last season, he was a consistent threat on the left side with his ability to run at pace in possession, make well-timed runs in and around the box and to find threatening pockets of space. Importantly though, he also puts in an important shift defensively for the team too with his energy and commitment for that side of the game.
Villa are more dynamic and settled with the pair in the starting XI as shown last season, and the sooner they both return from their respective setbacks the better, as we will be much-improved because of them.
Further, with Ramsey on the left, that allows John McGinn to operate on the right side of our midfield, and as we saw last season, he is undoubtedly more effective there in both phases of the game than compared to his impact this weekend.
The Scottish international has shown his versatility and ability to play where needed, and while he impresses in a more central role too, that role on the right flank appears to get the best out of him, which in turn sees him have a bigger influence on our performances in general.
While Moreno is expected back at the end of the month or perhaps early September, Ramsey could return after the international break in the middle of next month.
Time will tell if Villa bring in further reinforcements before the transfer deadline to address our issues or if Emery feels as though we can cope until they return, but there is little doubt that our left flank will be transformed with the key duo back available and that in turn has a knock-on effect for the entire team.
Individual and collective mistakes cost us this weekend, but there is confidence that Emery will fix them and get a response from his players against Everton on Sunday, regardless of those who remain out. While we may well be without Buendia and Mings for some time, getting others back from injury will be huge in rediscovering our rhythm and building some momentum for the season ahead.