Aston Villa need to find a way to turn their poor run of form around as they head into the final international break of the year off the back of four straight losses.
This disappointing run started with a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in the League Cup, as they missed out on a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
They have since lost two Premier League matches, to Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, and lost 1-0 to Club Brugge in their latest Champions League outing.
Unai Emery has now been blessed with an international break to come up with a strategy to turn his team’s fortunes around when they return to action against Palace in the top-flight next week.
If the Villans continue to struggle over the last six weeks or so, the club could be tempted to dip into the market to bolster the squad in the January transfer window.
Monchi and Emery have already been linked with interest in several players ahead of the next window, and here is the possible XI that Villa could select by the start of February…
1 Emi Martinez
Starting off between the sticks, Emi Martinez should retain his position as the team’s number one as he has been a reliable operator for the majority of his time at the club.
In the 2023/24 campaign, the Argentina international prevented 4.57 xG in 34 appearances in the Premier League, which shows that the 32-year-old star bailed his defence out on many occasions.
2 Omar El Hilali
The first new addition to the starting XI in this dream line-up for Villa is right-back Omar El Hilali, who currently plays for Espanyol in the Spanish top-flight.
Earlier this month, The Boot Room reported that Villa, Brighton, and Manchester City are all keeping tabs on the Moroccan defender ahead of the January window.
Appearances
6
12
Key passes per game
0.3
0.2
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.7
4.2
Ball recoveries per game
3.0
3.3
Duel success rate
59%
63%
As you can see in the table above, El Hilali has outperformed Villans right-back Matty Cash as a defender at league level so far this season, whilst neither of them offers much from a creative perspective.
Signing the Espanyol full-back could provide Emery with more defensive protection on the right, which could then free up Ezri Konsa to start in the middle.
3 Ezri Konsa
The England international has played six times at right-back and eight times as a centre-back this season for Villa, and the arrival of El Hilali would allow him to play more in his natural position at centre-back.
Diego Carlos has been needed at centre-back with Konsa at right-back and endured a poor start to the campaign, with two errors that have led to goals and a duel success rate of 40% in the Premier League.
This means that El Hilali coming in would allow Emery to drop Carlos, who has struggled badly, and play the Englishman ahead of him week-in-week-out.
4 Pau Torres
Next to Konsa, Pau Torres should continue to be a regular starter on the left side of the centre-back pairing, offering natural ball progression with his left foot.
The Spain international has won an eye-catching 73% of his ground duels this season in the Premier League, which also shows that he offers a dominant presence on the deck.
5 Lucas Digne
There has been a battle between Lucas Digne and Ian Maatsen for the left-back spot and it is one that the former has won so far, with eight ‘big chances’ created in 11 league matches, whilst the latter has created one in nine outings.
6 Amadou Onana
Moving into the midfield positions, there is little doubt that Amadou Onana deserves to keep his place in the middle of the park for the Villans.
The former Everton star has made 4.1 tackles and interceptions per game and completed 90% of his attempted passes, which shows that he has made an impact in and out of possession.
7 Youri Tielemans
To complete the Belgian connection for the Villans, Youri Tielemans could continue to shine for Emery next to his dominant midfield and national team partner, having produced three assists and seven ‘big chances’ created in 11 league games so far.
8 Leon Bailey
On the right side of the attack, Emery could retain his faith in Leon Bailey, despite the Jamaica international’s return of zero goals and three assists in 15 games in all competitions this term.
The 27-year-old whiz racked up 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions last season and the manager could give him a chance to get back to his best.
9 Morgan Rogers
Another position that should be locked down is Morgan Rogers’ role behind the striker, as the newly-capped England international has scored three goals and provided two assists in 11 Premier League games.
10 Pedro Goncalves
The second signing in January that could come into a dream starting XI for Villa is Portugal international Pedro Goncalves, who could replace Jacob Ramsey.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Villa are interested in signing the attacking midfielder and that they wanted to pay €40m (£33m) for him in the summer, which may now be viable after Ruben Amorim’s move to Manchester United.
Goncalves, who was once lauded as a “superstar” by presenter Jack Collins, has racked up five goals and six assists in 12 games this season, and has 81 goals and 57 assists in 189 games for Sporting.
The £33m-rated star could replace Ramsey in the starting XI, as the English forward could be binned after a return of one goal and two assists in 16 games, following one goal and two assists in 21 outings last term.