Ten months after a devastating ACL injury, Jordan Amavi sees his playing time dwindle in the early part of this Sky Bet Championship campaign.
One of the first names in Roberto Di Matteo’s team sheet every week is Aly Cissokho. The same Aly Cissokho who served as third-choice left back under previous Villa managers; who was deemed surplus to requirements and shipped out on loan to FC Porto last year. The same Aly Cissokho, who while adequate defensively, offers very little going forward and zero positional flexibility.
In comes the young and recovering Jordan Amavi. Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Ipswich Town represented Amavi’s first Championship start of the season, and second in all competitions (He started in the embarrassing 3-1 loss to Luton Town in the EFL Cup).
Jordan Amavi contains every skill set Aly Cissokho does not. He is young, he is pacey, and he strikes a mean cross from the left wing. What Aston Villa need now is not the security Cissokho provides, but the upside Amavi holds. Villa currently sit in 18th place in the Championship with a meager eight goals through eight matches. (On a more positive note, they’ve only conceded eight).
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Simply put, Aston Villa need Jordan Amavi to pick-up match fitness and they need it soon. The only way the player can improve is through game time. In Saturday’s draw Amavi started at left wing back and went nearly seventy minutes before succumbing to fatigue. His replacement, Aly Cissokho, held down his side of the pitch for the remainder of the match.
His energy on the pitch was noticeable as he really pressed the Ipswich midfield–closing in on every loose ball he could find. Moreover, his ability to get forward amplifies the Villa attack. Very few players in the squad possess his ability to strike a ball from the wing.
Combined with the aerial presence of Jonathan Kodjia and Rudy Gestede, it is conceivable Jordan Amavi could pick-up ten-plus assists in league play.
Aston Villa need peak Jordan Amavi. In order for peak Jordan Amavi to come back from injury, he needs sufficient match time. If Roberto Di Matteo deems him fit enough for the bench, he is fit enough to start.
It’s time for Roberto Di Matteo to gamble a little bit.
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