Unai Emery faces a genuine midfield decision when Aston Villa travel to Coventry City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
Ross Barkley endured a difficult afternoon during Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest and was replaced by Johan Manzambi in the 63rd minute.
The numbers underline his struggles.
Barkley failed to create a chance, recorded just 0.01 expected assists, was dispossessed four times and won only five of his 13 ground duels.
That leaves Emery deciding whether Coventry represents an opportunity for an immediate response or the right moment to make a change.
João Gomes return increases Aston Villa competition
The biggest difference ahead of Wednesday is the return of João Gomes.
Gomes is available again after completing his three-match domestic suspension, giving Emery another natural option in central midfield.
Our predicted Aston Villa XI against Coventry backs Gomes to return to the starting side as Emery considers rotation.
That does not necessarily mean Barkley should be completely discarded.
A cup tie could provide useful minutes and an opportunity to rebuild confidence after a poor individual performance.
But Villa also desperately need a first domestic victory of the season.
Emery cannot rotate purely for the sake of giving players minutes.
Coventry and Villa have not met competitively since 2001, adding another layer to a tie both clubs will see as an opportunity to change the mood around difficult league starts.
Barkley therefore faces an important selection moment.
Wednesday could offer the chance to respond.
Equally, Gomes’ return means Emery finally has the option to change the midfield rather than simply asking Barkley to play through his difficult form.
