Aston Villa kicked off their 2024//25 Premier League season with a highly impressive win over West Ham United last weekend
Unai Emery’s side looked like they were going to have to settle for a share of the spoils against the Irons, that was until Jhon Duran popped up with just 11 minutes left to score the winner.
In what was a tricky opening match, Villa securing all three points will give them plenty of confidence heading into their game against Arsenal this evening.
There could be a few changes to the starting XI, however, as some of the players failed to really shine last weekend, most notably John McGinn.
John McGinn’s game in numbers vs West Ham United
The Scot started on the left of a three-man attack to support Oliie Watkins yet struggled to really make much of an impact during his time on the pitch.
Metric
John McGinn
Morgan Rogers
Leon Bailey
Goals
0
0
0
Assists
0
0
0
Key passes
0
2
2
Big chances created
0
0
0
Dribble attempts (successful)
0 (0)
2 (1)
2 (2)
During his 62 minutes on the field, McGinn completed just 12 passes, took 26 touches and attempted zero dribbles.
The midfielder also lost possession three times while delivering zero accurate crosses, and it was clear his spell out wide wasn’t going to carve any openings for Watkins.
Emery’s attacking players will need to be excellent from the very first whistle against the Gunners today to stand any chance of securing a positive result. Could this see McGinn potentially dropped from the starting XI for a homegrown talent?
The player who could replace McGinn vs Arsenal
Ramsey was brought on for the ineffective McGinn with just half an hour of the game to be played last weekend, making a wonderful impact.
He was the one that set up Duran to score what turned out to be the winner, while he also was successful with 100% of his passes, showcasing his excellent distribution.
The Englishman looked much brighter going forwards than McGinn, as he created a big chance, made one key pass and succeeded with 100% of his dribble attempts during his second half cameo.
This is the sort of performance that Emery will be demanding from the start as the Gunners travel to the Midlands this evening, which could see Ramsey given a starting berth.
The Athletic journalist Seb Stafford-Bloor lauded Ramsey as “sensational” back in 2021, but the academy graduate didn’t enjoy the most productive of spells last term as he missed 35 matches due to a series of niggling injury issues.
His impressive showing on the first weekend of the season will surely have bolstered his confidence, knowing that he is back fit and firing, ready to establish himself in Emery’s side.
The clash against the title-chasing Gunners will be difficult, but Villa did win 2-0 during their last meeting, a result which arguably cost the Emirates side the 2023/24 Premier League title.
If they channel this type of performance tonight, then there is no reason why they cannot replicate that stunning result from the end of last term.
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