Aston Villa suffered a shock defeat to Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League on Thursday.
Villa’s 2-1 loss in the Netherlands has dented their confidence ahead of a massive couple of weeks before the international break.
Having gone into the match off the back of five wins in a row, this will be a damaging result for Unai Emery ahead of the huge match against Man City on Sunday.
Despite the loss, Amadou Onana has emerged as the standout, and he could be on course to achieve what was expected of him when he signed for Aston Villa.
Amadou Onana shines against Go Ahead Eagles
Onana’s role in Villa’s goal against Go Ahead Eagles was brilliant, picking out Jadon Sancho with a defence-splitting pass, whose cross fell to the path of Guessand to open the scoring.
Despite being taken off for Matty Cash in the 66th minute, the Belgium international kept the ball well in midfield and produced a promising display.
According to Sofascore, Onana had a pass accuracy of 98 per cent, and he registered a 7.2 match rating, his second-highest total of the season.
| Stat | Amadou Onana |
| Minutes played | 66 |
| Touches | 56 |
| Pass accuracy | 98% |
| Ground duels won | 62.5% |
Onana faced criticism for his performance against Spurs, and after dealing with consistent injury issues since joining Villa in July 2024, supporters will be hoping for a level of consistency in his performances.
Having only completed 83 per cent of his passes in the Premier League, Onana has now set a high standard for what he can bring to the side.
The 24-year-old is undeniably talented, and if he stays fit, he could become a huge asset to Emery’s starting lineup.
Alongside Boubacar Kamara, Onana has the potential to flourish.
Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara could excel together
Kamara has been Villa’s best player this season, completing an average pass accuracy of 88.5 per cent in the top flight.
More importantly, he has won 71 per cent of his ground duels and 81.8 per cent of his aerial battles.
With Onana in form, Villa can play to both of their strengths, with Kamara breaking up the play whilst the Belgian midfielder drives forward with the ball.
Regardless of the loss to Go Ahead Eagles, Onana has clearly shown that he can compete excellently for Aston Villa.
The question is: can he do it for a sustainable period of time?
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The post View: 98% Aston Villa star set for revival under Unai Emery despite loss vs Go Ahead Eagles appeared first on Villa News.
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