Unai Emery will be livid as torrid Aston Villa stat emerges from Alex Moreno display v Zrinjski, he must improve for Brentford clash

After a 1-1 tie with Zrinjski Mostar, Aston Villa advanced to the Europa Conference League round of 16, but Alex Moreno had a night to remember.

 

With a draw in Bosnia on Thursday night (December 14), Aston Villa secured first place in Group E and a ticket in the Europa Conference League’s round of sixteen.

Nicolo Zaniolo’s placed effort from substitute John McGinn’s second-half cross appeared to have given Villa victory.

But the visitors, who had dominated early on, were guaranteed a nervous

ending thanks to Matija Malekinusic’s curling late attempt.

 

After completing their group stage adventure with four victories, one tie,

and six games played, Aston Villa finished one point ahead of Legia

Warsaw and qualified for the round of 16.

 

For what appeared to be a straightforward task, Unai Emery’s team

traveled to Bosnia-Herzegovina, and it showed as the Spaniard made up to eight changes for the match.

This season, Aston Villa has struggled to match their customary fluid heights, as evidenced by a lackluster performance

in Bosnia. More importantly, though, a number of marginal players have failed

to impress Emery. Overall, it was a fruitless exercise.

 

Moreno, who was supposed to sit out the match due to Lucas Digne’s ban for Sunday’s match against Brentford (17

December), was one player who surprised everyone by starting the game.

Emery will be anxious and flushed ahead of a challenging match in West London

this weekend, but the former Real Betis player was chosen over the Frenchman

as he increased his fitness after only recently returning from injury.

 

According to SofaScore, the Spanish left-back gave a rather poor performance. In all, Moreno lost seven possessions, won

only one battle out of three, and failed to win a single tackle or interception.

 

The 30-year-old’s aggressive style and the caliber of the opponent did not help him produce a single crucial pass, and he also

failed with all three of his attempted crosses and his lone long ball.

The defender, found open by Jacob Ramsey on the left flank, had a golden

opportunity early in the second half to find Moussa Diaby running into the box

for a tap-in, but his cross was remarkably weak for such a simple play.

 

The former Betis player was rightfully fired shortly before the hour mark, and

it’s safe to conclude that his poor performance was the reason for it rather

than the fact that he will be playing against Brentford on Sunday.

 

It was a far cry from his previous European game on November 30 against

Legia Warsaw, where he scored the team’s opening goal, won 50% of his

aerial duels, and completed 100% of his attempted dribbles.

participated in a total of seven duels, making two clearances and drawing a

foul to relieve his team’s mounting pressure while they valiantly battled for the 2-1 European triumph. [Sofascore]

 

Moreno, though, gave off the appearance of a player who had recently recovered from injury.

Emery will have to swallow a hard pill ahead of the encounter because

Brentford is a team that seldom gives anything away on their home field. He

must decide whether Moreno is ready to start in Digne’s place.