Having missed the entire season last year, Aston Villa playmaker Emiliano Buendia finally made his return to the matchday squad for the first time since May 2023 this past weekend.
The 27-year-old has been a big miss for Villa in the year that he’s been sidelined, as he’s had to go through a gruelling rehabilitation and recovery process after suffering a serious knee injury.
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Similarly to many of his teammates, the Argentine ace looked to be growing and developing into a much-improved version of himself following the appointment of Unai Emery, as after scoring just one goal and with no assists in the 13 games prior to his arrival, Buendia became a mainstay in the side under the Basque coach and contributed four goals and two assists in the 25 games that followed.
Admittedly, those are still low numbers for a player with his talent, but he was finally starting to look settled and had carved out a role in Emery’s plans, and much like others in the squad, he was primed for a big season last year as it was an opportunity to kick on and raise his level again.
That was sadly taken away from him as he had to watch on from the sidelines. While Villa enjoyed a superb season without him, having ultimately crawled over the line at the end of the campaign due to injuries and fatigue, having Buendia back to bolster our squad is going to be a huge boost in itself.
It gives Emery competition and depth in the final third as he looks to rotate more effectively this season and keep everyone as fresh as possible over the course of a gruelling year, but Buendia can also provide an important alternative tactical solution with his creativity and style of play.
Villa have a lot of speed, athleticism and powerful runners in the side or on the bench in the likes of Leon Bailey, Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey, but we need to balance that with a creative mind with the vision to pull the strings and link things together, particularly when we’re struggling to break teams down in behind with our pace and movement.
That ability and eye to unlock a defence with a key pass in the build-up and to pick holes in a defensive structure makes Buendia a potentially integral option to have at Emery’s disposal, and so it’s just hoped that we see him grow in confidence and belief when he eventually makes his return.
There is a sense that Buendia will need a little more time than others as he plays catch-up in terms of match fitness and sharpness, and so it will be a gradual re-integration off the bench in the coming weeks as he gets back up to speed.
However, there is real hope that he will prove to be a key player for us this season, as we continue to move closer to having a full-strength and highly competitive squad.