Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey has delivered a defiant message as he looks to rediscover his best form after a slow start to the season.
The 27-year-old enjoyed a brilliant campaign last year, scoring 14 goals and providing 14 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions as he was integral to our success.
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After initially struggling following the appointment of Unai Emery, the Jamaican international established himself as a fundamental and decisive figure, and it had been hoped that he could build on that and enjoy another big season.
It hasn’t worked out that way as of yet as he has struggled with fitness and form, contributing just two assists in 11 games thus far, with Emery publicly noting that he hasn’t been at 100 percent as he’s had to deal with knocks in recent months.
Bailey is a confidence player and he does look as though he’s lost some of that through his early struggles, but his mentality and mindset is still strong, as per his comments below, and it’s hoped that after producing an assist at the weekend, he can start to find some consistency again and be influential in our pursuit of success this year.
“I am definitely not at my best, I don’t even think I am close,” he told Sky Sports. “But this is football. That’s why we come in and we work. You have good moments and bad moments.
“We are professionals and I have been in the game a long time to understand that whenever it’s not your moment, the only thing you are able to control is yourself and how hard you’re willing to work to get back to that level. It’s about working hard every day.
“You have to work hard and your results will come. I will get back to where I need to be. I have amazing teammates who have been pushing me and being there for me. It’s just one family and I think I will definitely get back to where I need to be.”
While he’s honest enough to concede that he’s been off it so far this season, the determination is clear in that he’s going to put in the work to get back on track.
Fortunately, we’ve seen the likes of Morgan Rogers, Jacob Ramsey, Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran offer an important threat and clinical edge through the early part of the campaign, but once Bailey returns to form, that will add another dangerous dynamic to our attacking play down the right wing, making us even more difficult to deal with.
We’ve seen others struggle under Emery in the early stages and perhaps suffer from a temporary drop in form, but with the backing of the Villa boss, his coaches and the players, Bailey will hopefully be back to something near his best in the coming weeks.