Aston Villa find themselves ninth in the Premier League after 18 games played, just one point away from fifth-place Newcastle, and six points away from fourth-place Nottingham Forest.
Unai Emery’s side are averaging 49.4% possession this season (ranked 11th in the division for this metric), taking 12.4 shots per game this season (ranked 14th in the division for this metric), and are conceding 12.1 shots per game this season (ranked 8th in the division for this metric).
Villa face Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton and Hove Albion next, with the two sides playing at Villa Park as they both chase those European qualification spots. But Emery could have a few tough selection choices, with a few of his players set to miss the game against The Seagulls.
Aston Villa team news
Jacob Ramsey is a doubt, but could make the bench for Aston Villa after a late assessment ahead of Monday night’s game. The 23-year-old has been out for the past seven Premier League games with a hamstring injury.
Jhon Duran will be unavailable for the Villans for the next three games, after being sent off against Newcastle in their 3-0 loss on Boxing Day.
One more player Emery will be without is Matty Cash, after he received his fifth booking of the campaign against Newcastle, meaning he is now suspended for the Brighton clash.
How Emery can ease Matty Cash blow
With Cash out against Brighton, Emery could choose to shift Ezri Konsa over to right-back (a role he has played multiple times already this season), becoming the right central defender in a back three on the ball.
This allows the left fullback to be more advanced, offering width on the left and allowing the left-winger to drift inside, alongside the number 10 to have two players in the pockets.
Konsa would likely be up against Kaoru Mitoma, who is well known for his 1v1 qualities and ability to beat his man. With the recent poor form of Cash, often being beaten in 1v1 isolations, this could be a well-timed change to nullify Mitoma.
The last time the 27-year-old played at right-back, Villa lost to Nottingham Forest 2-1, but the performance from Konsa was a strong one, winning four out of four ground duels, winning two out of four aerial duels, and making two tackles.
With Konsa moving from central defence to right-back would mean another central defender is needed in the side, which would likely see Diego Carlos return to the side alongside Pau Torres. Cash himself has labelled Konsa as “incredible” in the past, calling him one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League.
The sheer versatility of Konsa will allow Emery to make tactical tweaks without disrupting the team too much, keeping his best players on the pitch, and possibly even finding a better solution to stop Brighton’s key man in the wide-left areas (Mitoma).
Emery can ease Matty Cash blow by relocating “incredible” Aston Villa star
