Emery can ditch Bailey by playing “special” Aston Villa ace out of position

Aston Villa came so close to ending their six-game winless run against Juventus in the Champions League. Morgan Rogers scored in the dying minutes, but the goal was ruled out following a ‘foul’ on the goalkeeper in the buildup.

A draw against one of the best sides on the continent is certainly no disgrace, but Unai Emery will be aiming for three points against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.

With several changes expected, Leon Bailey could well be one player to drop to the bench after another insipid display.

Leon Bailey’s game in numbers vs Juventus

So far this campaign, the winger has scored zero goals while registering just three assists in all competitions, a far cry from the 28 goal contributions that he recorded last season for Villa.

Unleashed on the right wing against Juventus, Bailey failed to cause much trouble for the Serie A side.

Indeed, the Jamaican winger succeeded with just 70% of his passes, completed two of his four total dribble attempts, lost possession 16 times throughout the game and won only six of his 12 total duels contested.

What has happened to the 27-year-old in recent months? So often Villa’s saviour last season, he has struggled to make much of a difference in the final third for the club during the current campaign.

This performance will surely see Emery drop him to the bench for the trip to Stamford Bridge. The question is, who will come into the starting XI to replace him?

Why Emery must unleash Jaden Philogene against Chelsea

The youngster arrived back at Villa Park in the summer following a productive season at Hull City, where he registered 18 goal contributions in the Championship.

This saw Emery splash £13m to lure him back, and it could prove to be a wise decision. Although primarily a left-winger, Philogene has featured on the right flank on occasions this season and this versatility could see him replace Bailey for the Chelsea clash.

In the Champions League, the former Hull sensation has succeeded with 50% of his dribble attempts along with winning 3.7 total duels and making 0.3 key passes per game, despite starting just one match and playing for 124 minutes in total.

He now needs a proper run in the starting XI to build on his excellent campaign for Hull. Hailed by Liam Rosenior as being a “special talent” during his spell in the Championship, the key for him now is to make that step up and start performing regularly in the Premier League.

Playing on the right would mean the £40k-per-week starlet is out of position, but it could cause a surprise to the Chelsea backline, who surely wont expect him to start over Bailey on the wing.

Whatever happens, changes need to be made to freshen up the team after a gruelling run of matches.

Philogene has the attributes to make a lasting impression. Can he score his first goal of the season against the Blues?