With Aston Villa continuing to compete across three fronts, Unai Emery has needed contributions across his squad to continue our progress.
Having seen all three goals in our win over Southampton this weekend scored by substitutes, it was a perfect case in point about how competition for places can be healthy, and strength in depth is a real asset if utilised efficiently.
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One of the key requirements to make it work though is the attitude of the personnel, and Donyell Malen has displayed excellent character off the pitch with his comments on being left out of our Champions League squad for the knockout stage, and he’s delivering his answer on the pitch when called upon.
The Dutchman made it three goals in his last three Premier League outings as he helped us on our way to all three points at St Mary’s with a sublime finish, and with a fundamental role to play in our success domestically between now and the end of the season, he’s hitting goalscoring form at just the right time.
What it also shows is that it was another smart signing from the club to bolster Emery’s squad in January, as although he has taken time to adjust and adapt, much like many others who have arrived to play under Emery, he is showing how effective and impactful he can be in our system and style of play.
The 26-year-old’s movement off the ball in the right-side channel coupled with the understanding and chemistry that he is building with his teammates is allowing Malen to flourish, and it’s hoped that he can continue to find the back of the net with similar regularity between now and the end of the campaign.
Emery has lauded the depth he now has at his disposal, as a combination of the club continuing to back him in assembling his squad coupled with players staying healthy and recovering from injury has put us in a really strong position as we look to make these last couple of months the best months of the season.
While we have work to do in the Champions League in midweek to overturn our deficit to Paris Saint-Germain, we’re hitting our stride at just the right time in the league with four consecutive wins, and we have a crunch showdown with Crystal Palace later this month in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Malen will play a pivotal role in how we go in the latter two competitions, but his ability to make an important impact says a lot about him as a player and being part of a team, and Emery’s ability to get the best out of players and to help them reach higher levels, as we’ve seen with so many other Villa players in the current squad during his time in charge thus far.
Simply taking it in his stride 🫵 pic.twitter.com/N2y3VNVguI
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 12, 2025
