Alan Shearer Slams Amadou Onana’s “Unacceptable” Display Against Everton
I was shocked by Amadou Onana’s performance against Everton on Saturday. The Aston Villa midfielder was at fault for Dwight McNeil’s opening goal and looked like a nervous wreck throughout the match.
His loss of possession in the lead-up to the goal was unacceptable. He seemed to freeze up and allowed McNeil to take the ball off him easily. And then, to make matters worse, he appeared to fake an injury out of embarrassment.
I don’t know what’s going on with Onana, but he needs to sort himself out quickly. He’s a £50million player, and Villa need him to perform at a much higher level than he did against Everton.
His stats from the match are alarming. He only won 67% of his aerial duels, despite being one of the best in the league in that department. And he was dispossessed once, leading to a goal. That’s not good enough.
Onana’s passing was also off, completing only 82% of his passes and misplacing five of 32. That’s a far cry from his usual standards.
I think Unai Emery made the right decision in taking him off at half-time. Villa went on to win the match without him, and it’s clear that they can’t rely on him in his current form.
Onana needs to take a hard look at himself and figure out what’s going wrong. He’s got the talent, but he’s not showing it on the pitch. And if he doesn’t turn it around soon, he’ll find himself out of the team.
Furthermore, Onana’s performance raises questions about his ability to handle the pressure of playing for a top-six team. He’s shown flashes of brilliance, but he’s also had some disastrous games. Emery needs to assess whether Onana has the mental toughness to succeed at this level.
In addition, Onana’s struggles have highlighted the need for Villa to strengthen their midfield. They can’t rely on one player to carry the team, and they need more depth and quality in that area.
In conclusion, Onana’s display against Everton was unacceptable, and he needs to improve dramatically if he wants to keep his place in the team. Emery will be watching him closely, and if he doesn’t see an improvement soon, he’ll have no hesitation in making changes.