Joe McConnell
Aston Villa have a revamped midfield for the 2024/25 season and manager Unai Emery will need to quickly find his preferred combination of new faces if the club is to continue their meteoric rise in the Premier League.
Having ended a 41-year wait for the Champions League, not many managers will find themselves having to rebuild their midfield ahead of the new season.
Going into the new campaign, that’s exactly what’s being asked of Emery as he looks to plug the hole left in his side following the Brazilian maestro. Douglas Luiz he left the club to join Juventus.
Luiz, signed from Manchester City for £15m in 2019, was a standout for Villa last season and was a key reason the club finished in the top four.
His nine goals and five assists in the Premier League marked his best performance in professional football, which is a worthy testament to the development he has shown during his partnership with Emery.
Enzo Barrenechea, Ross Barkley AND Amadou Onana have joined the midfield resurgence at Villa Park for a total investment of around £76m. However, as pre-season has clearly shown, finding the right combination to maintain the club’s upward trajectory will be no mean feat.
Barkley, an offensive man
One of the first experiments tried out by the Villa coach was the Barkley-Barrenechea duo, which was immediately re-evaluated after the 4-1 defeat against Columbus Crew, the 2023 MLS champions.
It’s a combination that most fans probably expect won’t feature in the season opener against West Ham.
Barkley, for all his experience, is not a truly complete central midfielder. His talent lies in the final third, rather than supporting the defense.
Ross Barkley in action for Aston Villa during pre-season
Within a double pivot, Villa need a more solid option before Paul Torres AND Ezri Konsa. Given that no player was dispossessed more times than Barkley for the Hatters last season, as well as having the second-worst tackle success rate in the team according to Opta, the former Everton man is unlikely to offer that.
Perhaps a striker role would be more suitable, a role that Emery often deploys.
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Will Barrenechea be addressed gradually?
Barrenechea, 23, mirrors many of Luiz’s qualities in the midfield role. A forward-thinking and decisive passer, he is calm under pressure and comfortable dropping deep. But he will need time to adapt to the Premier League.
His 33 loan starts at Frosinone last season are the only regular tests he has faced at the top level. However, what he lacks in experience, he makes up for in confidence.
The Argentine talent has impressed during pre-season, but throwing it deep against by James Ward Prowse, Tomas Soucek AND Edson Alvarez could reveal some cracks in the game of the former Juventus ace.
A bench role while he continues to settle into a new country and integrate better into the team seems like a more sensible decision.
Is Onana Tieleman’s companion?
Meanwhile, Onana, who played every minute for Belgium at Euro 2024 and joined Villa from Everton for £50m this summer, represents an attractive option for the club to turn to.
His aggressive, action-packed approach to the game will excite fans, while also providing the height and physicality that the team so desperately needs.
Although not a true defensive midfielder, his ability to break up play, push the team forward and regularly find a team-mate after retaining the ball will help ease the pressure Villa will face throughout the match.
His international teammate The Tielemans tour appear to be the most likely pairing for him in midfield going forward, with the pair impressing during the recent 3-2 win over Athletic Bilbao.
Tielemans was compared to Luiz by Emery earlier this year, which could suggest a bigger role in the team following his exit. “Players like Douglas Luiz and Youri Tielemans are similar,” the Villa boss told Vscek.
Regardless of who Emery selects, the club will be hampered by the loss of Boubacar camerawho is still out with an ACL injury. “They need a Kamara type to protect them when they’re trying to build,” he continued.
The French international provides the security needed for players like Luiz and Tielemans to push forward and express themselves in the final third of the pitch.
But with no updates on his health since he suffered the injury in February, Villa will have to start the season without the former Marseille player.
The most important thing for Villa is that they have options to consider. Having previously relied on players like Iroegbunam Team AND Calum’s Roomswho have now both left the club, Emery has had the opportunity to bring in new faces who fit the desired profile.
There will undoubtedly be some teething problems for this new-look Villa midfield. It was an area of the pitch that pretty much chose itself last season.
But with the combined attributes of Onana, Barkley, Tielemans, Barrenechea and their versatile captain John McGinn, Villa should be able to regain that same fluidity and continue to compete with the best in the top flight of English football.
Watch West Ham vs Aston Villa live on Vscek Premier League from 5pm on Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm
