As we face the possibility of seeing Matty Cash sidelined by injury again, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has a key decision to make at right-back this week.
Villa travel to Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday before taking on Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League this weekend, and that is then followed by the international break as we get a chance to regroup.
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Having been forced off on the hour mark in our loss to Tottenham this past weekend, Emery confirmed that Cash was suffering with a calf issue, and so it remains to be seen if that latest setback now results in another stint being ruled out of action as he recovers.
As he has so often done in the past, the Villa boss opted to go with Diego Carlos coming on to play at centre-half on Sunday, thus shifting Ezri Konsa across to right-back.
That particular tactical tweak has worked brilliantly in the past, as it has delivered in big games to help us stay defensively compact and organised to go on and pick up important results.
However, it could be argued that more often than not, it has proven to be a vulnerability and doesn’t work as effectively on a consistent basis, even more so when we’re in possession and struggle to play out.
Further, it moves one of our best players in Konsa out of his favoured and more natural role as a centre-half, and that disruption of our pairing with him and Pau Torres in the heart of the backline is surely something that we want to avoid where possible.
It doesn’t help that amid some top performances from Carlos, he has also made costly errors, and that unfortunate habit has been a reoccurring theme during his stint with us as a wayward pass or lapse in concentration or positioning has led to problems.
In turn, particularly for the trip to Bruges, a strong case can surely be made for Kosta Nedeljkovic to get a chance to impress and stake his claim for that right-back position.
The 18-year-old has made five appearances so far this season, winning 17 duels in 273 minutes of football, 71 percent of tackles and has an 87 percent pass completion rate.
That comes off the back of an impressive pre-season where he showcased his potential and emerged as one of our stand-out performers over the summer, and he hasn’t done himself any harm when he has featured in competitive action in recent months.
Admittedly, he’s still inexperienced and ultimately Emery will know better than anyone when the talented Serbian international is fully ready to step in and be a key member of the starting line-up, as he sees him everyday in training and will be closely monitoring his progress and adaptation.
That said, there is also an argument to suggest that the only way Nedeljkovic is going to develop and mature into a reliable first-team player, is by playing regularly.
When he has featured, he has brought energy, tenacity and athleticism to the side and has been a driving force down the right wing. He still clearly has work to do on the defensive side of his game as he can be caught out of position, but with his recovery pace, he has the ability to get himself out of trouble while continuing to learn and improve.
For the sake of balance in the Villa XI and to allow Konsa to keep building his partnership with Pau in the centre, Nedeljkovic surely must be given an opportunity in Cash’s potential absence to cement his place in the line-up.
If not, we may end up seeing Villa delve into the transfer market for another right-back or versatile right-sided centre-half next year, and the young talent’s window of opportunity may well face jeopardy despite showing such promise to this point.