- Amadou Onana had to be substituted in the 55th minute in Aston Villa’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Thursday night
- Unai Emery confirmed the Belgian suffered a fresh injury concern from the one that ruled him out of the Fulham game
- Lamare Bogarde replaced him
Amadou Onana was forced off in the 55th minute of Aston Villa’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final. Unai Emery confirmed after the game that it was a fresh injury that occurred in the first half.
Ahead of the match, the Belgian faced a late fitness test to determine whether he could start on Thursday night, after he was absent from Villa’s 1-0 loss with Fulham last weekend with a knee injury. Emery felt the need to take a gamble, to counteract Forest’s physicality in midfield.
The 24-year-old had been the standout performer during the semi-final clash, putting in a commanding shift that personified everything Unai Emery demands from his engine room.
A dominant force from the first whistle with relentless energy, snapping into challenges and asserting his tactical authority by bossing every aerial duel that came his way.
However, his premature exit left a glaring void in the heart of the Villa setup. The 24-year-old had been the primary disruptor to Forest’s rhythm, and once his physical stature and bite in the tackle were removed from the equation, Emery’s side looked visibly diminished.
Without their midfield anchor, Villa struggled to maintain the same level of control, leaving fans wondering just how much that second-half withdrawal might cost them in the quest for European silverware.
Lamare Bogarde replaced him, as he did against Fulham, but the Dutchman lacks the robustness Onana has, causing the Villans to drop off.
In his post-match press conference, Emery provided an update on the midfielder’s latest injury.
“The first half, he was telling us he was feeling something in his calf.
“I don’t know how he is going to recover. Hopefully, in a few days, he can recover. We must be careful, and we will see how he progresses.”
Concerns with a replacement
Villa now face a rapid turnaround with Tottenham Hotspur lying in wait this Sunday but the prospect of the Belgian midfielder lining up for the Premier League clash appears increasingly slim.
Unai Emery is facing a high-stakes balancing act; the Villa boss is expected to wrap his midfield general in cotton wool to ensure he is fit for the second leg next week.
Risking a recurrence against Spurs could prove fatal to Villa’s European ambitions, making a weekend rest the pragmatic, if painful, choice.
However, the real headache for Emery isn’t just Onana’s absence it’s the lack of a viable alternative. The drop-off in physical presence and defensive coverage is stark, leaving a gaping hole in the engine room that the current squad depth is struggling to plug.
With a top five battle on one front and a European final on the other, the timing of this midfield void couldn’t be worse for the Spaniard.
Currently, Bogarde has been ahead of Douglas Luiz in the pecking order to replace the 27-capped Belgium international. However, he has struggled both in possession and defensively. When he’s in the side, Villa aren’t as progressive in the middle on the ball. This leaves a heavy reliance on Youri Tielemans. With the added lack of physicality, Villa can also get overrun in the midfield battle.
Whilst Luiz is far more composed with the ball, he too has an absence of strength. In reality, when both Boubacar Kamara and Onana are injured, Villa are a worse team.
But, they can only deal with the cards they are dealt, so it is an opportunity for one of Bogarde or Luiz to step up.
These are season-defining matches, and they cannot afford to put in a poor performance. When given a chance, both of them have to make an impact.
