Aston Villa Predicted XI vs Manchester City: Alysson Deserves His Chance as Emery Faces Selection Decisions
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Aston Villa have some interesting selection decisions ahead of Saturday's meeting with Manchester City, and I think Unai Emery will be looking to find the right balance between having enough defensive security to deal with the Premier League leaders and ensuring Villa carry a genuine attacking threat when opportunities present themselves.
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Wednesday's victory over Viking gave Emery another opportunity to assess his options, and while I thought some of the tactical adjustments were excellent, this is going to be a completely different game. Villa won't have the same level of possession against City, and there will be periods when we're going to have to defend for sustained spells, but I don't think that means we should abandon the attacking qualities that have served us well recently.
I'm going to make a couple of interesting selections, particularly in the attacking positions, and I'm also working on the assumption that Johan Manzambi will be available after missing Wednesday's game with what Emery described as a small injury.
In goal, Zion Suzuki is an obvious selection, and I'd expect the back four to include Matty Cash, Victor Lindelöf and Pau Torres, with the biggest question coming at left-back. I actually think Ian Maatsen will start, despite the fitness problems he's experienced recently and the fact that he didn't get any minutes against Viking.
Maatsen was back on the bench on Wednesday, and I did find it slightly surprising that Emery didn't give him some time on the pitch, particularly given how long he's been unavailable. However, there's also the possibility that the manager simply didn't want to take any unnecessary risks ahead of Manchester City, knowing how important having a natural left-back could be in this particular fixture.
Tyrone Mings has provided an alternative in that position, but I struggle to see Emery wanting to use him there against City's attacking players unless he absolutely has to. Maatsen offers a different level of mobility and familiarity with the position, and I think Villa will need somebody comfortable dealing with the movement and individual quality of City's wide players. His fitness will obviously have to be managed, and there may be a question about whether he's ready to complete 90 minutes, but if he's available to start, I think Emery will want a genuine left-back in the team.
In midfield, I'm going with Boubacar Kamara and João Gomes, and Kamara could have a particularly important role in the way Villa set themselves up without possession. We saw against City at Villa Park last season how he was prepared to drop into the defensive line, effectively giving Villa a back five and allowing the team to become more compact when defending deeper.
I wouldn't be surprised to see something similar on Saturday, particularly when City establish possession in advanced areas. Kamara understands those defensive responsibilities extremely well, and having somebody who can move between midfield and defence without disrupting the structure gives Emery another option when trying to contain opponents of this quality.
Gomes has been one of Villa's most encouraging performers recently, and I thought his contribution against Viking was another demonstration of his versatility. The way he moved into midfield from right-back when Villa had possession was really clever, although I don't expect that particular experiment to be repeated against Manchester City. Instead, I'd have him alongside Kamara, where his physicality, energy and ability to compete for possession will be especially important.
Further forward, I'm going to give Alysson a start on the right following his performance against Viking, because I think he's earned the opportunity. He was excellent on Wednesday, and while there's always a temptation to be cautious about expecting too much from a young player after one particularly impressive performance, I think he's shown enough to suggest he can contribute in a game of this magnitude.
He's had a difficult time with injuries since arriving at Villa, but he's also had the opportunity to work closely with Emery and become familiar with the demands of the system. While some of the more expensive summer arrivals have naturally attracted greater attention, Alysson has been developing in the background, and I think we're beginning to see the benefits of that.
Against Manchester City, I also think Villa need a direct wide player who can carry the ball forward and provide an outlet when we regain possession. There will be occasions when we're defending deeper and need somebody prepared to run into space, and Alysson demonstrated against Viking that he has the confidence and ability to do that. His movement around Jackson was particularly encouraging, and I think he deserves to keep his place rather than automatically making way for a more established player.
I'm going with John McGinn in the central attacking position, although I expect him to have considerable freedom to move into different areas depending on the situation. One of the things I like about having McGinn in there is the additional control he provides, particularly in games where Villa aren't necessarily going to dominate possession.
He's somebody Emery can trust to understand the tactical demands of a fixture like this, and his ability to protect the ball, compete physically and recognise when to slow things down could be particularly valuable. There will be moments when Villa need to retain possession rather than immediately looking for a forward pass, and I think McGinn's experience and understanding of the system make him well suited to that responsibility.
On the left, I'm selecting Johan Manzambi, although his availability remains the obvious question. He missed the Viking game with a small injury, and Emery's comments earlier in the week didn't necessarily fill me with confidence that he'd be ready for Saturday. However, I'm going to work on the assumption that he comes through his fitness assessment because I think he's become a particularly important player in the way Villa want to attack.
Jacob Tanswell mentioned during a recent live show with me that Villa will use Manzambi from the left in certain games, and I think this could be one of those occasions. It doesn't necessarily mean asking him to operate as a traditional winger, because his natural inclination is to move into central areas and become involved in the game, but having him start from that position could give Villa an interesting balance.
With Maatsen providing natural width from left-back, Manzambi would have the freedom to move inside and occupy spaces between City's midfield and defence. It would also allow Villa to get another technically strong player into those central areas alongside McGinn, something that could be particularly important when trying to establish periods of control against a side with the quality of Manchester City.
If Manzambi doesn't make it, Emery will have to reconsider the balance of that attacking three, and Emiliano Buendía would certainly be an option after his contribution on Wednesday. But if everybody is available, I like the combination of Alysson's directness on the right, McGinn's control centrally and Manzambi's ability to operate between the lines from the left.
That leaves Nicolas Jackson leading the line, and I think he'll have an important job to do even during periods when Villa aren't seeing much of the ball. His movement and willingness to compete physically give Villa an option when playing more directly, and having runners prepared to get beyond him could be a useful way of exploiting the spaces Manchester City leave when committing players forward.
Jackson won't necessarily have an afternoon where he's constantly involved in possession, but his ability to occupy defenders and help Villa move up the pitch could be crucial. There will be moments when we need him to hold the ball up, bring others into play and give the team an opportunity to get out of its defensive shape, and I think he's capable of providing that.
It's an interesting eleven, and perhaps slightly more adventurous in the attacking positions than some might expect against the Premier League leaders, but I don't think Villa should approach this game simply looking to contain Manchester City. Emery has found ways of beating them at Villa Park in each of the last three seasons, and while this is a different City side under Enzo Maresca, there are opportunities for Villa to cause problems.
The fitness of Maatsen and Manzambi will obviously have a major influence on the final selection, but if both are available, this is the team I'd like to see on Saturday.
My predicted Aston Villa XI (4-2-3-1)
Suzuki, Cash, Lindelof, Pau, Maatsen, Kamara, Joao Gomes, Alysson, McGinn, Manzambi, Jackson.