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Aston Villa struggled once again following a European tie in midweek as they battled to secure a 1-1 draw against West Ham United in the Premier League.
Unai Emery’s side may have demolished Ajax 4-0 just three days prior, but it looked as though this had caught up with some of the players as they went into the interval trailing 1-0.
Substitute Nicolo Zaniolo scored an equaliser with just over ten minutes remaining and that is how the tie finished after a last-gasp goal from Tomas Soucek was ruled out.
A point is better than none, but it was a big opportunity missed by Emery and his team as they look to secure fourth spot in the table.
Several players failed to match the levels reached on Thursday evening and Alex Moreno was one of them.
Alex Moreno’s game in numbers vs West Ham
The Spaniard started at left-back in place of Lucas Digne in what was perhaps a surprise given that he had played 90 minutes against the Dutch side.
Moreno failed to really sparkle against the Irons, as he completed only 82% of his passes while winning three of his six contested duels throughout the clash.
Alex Moreno’s game in numbers vs West Ham
Touches
55
Total duels won
3/6
Crosses (accurate)
3 (0)
Key passes
0
Dribble attempts (succeeded)
2 (1)
Via Sofascore
The defender also managed to lose possession 12 times during the match – once every five minutes – and failed to make a key pass, succeeding with just one dribble in what was a below-par display.
Indeed, Birmingham Mail journalist John Townley gave him a match rating of just 5/10 for his display on Sunday, stating that the left-back ‘failed to make an impact down the left-hand side’.
The full-back was was eventually replaced by Digne with half an hour remaining.
The man to replace Alex Moreno at Aston Villa
Moving forward, it’s clear that Frenchman, Digne, should be the starting option on the left side of the defence.
Townley said in his match report that Digne’s introduction ‘helped change the tide in Villa’s favour’ against West Ham and during his brief spell on the pitch, the former Everton gem won two of his three duels, succeeded with 89% of his passes, delivered one accurate long ball and attempted four crosses, showing his intent to get forward as often as possible.
Once the international break is over, Digne should certainly be starting the clash against Wolves as he offers more than Moreno.
Digne has started just one league match since Boxing Day due to suffering injury issues, but it finally looks as though he is back to full fitness and could prove to be a huge asset for Emery between now and May.
Securing fourth spot will be a momentous effort, especially considering the Midlands side now have a European quarter-final tie to deal with.
Rotating his squad often will help with freshness once the domestic season resumes next weekend and the Spaniard will be looking at making a change or two to his starting XI from the 1-1 draw.
Digne should be in line for a start against Wolves, meaning Moreno will be dropped to the bench.
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