TOM COLLOMOSSE: John McGinn will be HAUNTED by his red card against Tottenham if Aston Villa fail to qualify for the Champions League…. while it is time for Moussa Diaby to show why the club made him their record signing
- John McGinn was sent off during Aston Villa’s heavy 4-0 defeat by Tottenham
- It has left Unai Emery’s side looking worryingly short in midfield for next games
- What is going on?! Why should players take stick from fans after they’ve lost? – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
If Aston Villa fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League, John McGinn will be haunted by his wild lunge at Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie for many months to come.
We are about to learn just how well Villa can cope without their captain and most influential player. Ollie Watkins scores the goals, Emi Martinez makes the saves and Leon Bailey brings the flair, but McGinn is the man who knits is all together.
Not for the next three matches he won’t be, and by the time he is back, it could be too late. Because McGinn made that crazy tackle on Udogie as Villa were busy losing 4-0 at home to Spurs, he will now be absent at West Ham on Sunday, as well as missing the home game with Wolves on March 30 and the trip to Manchester City on April 3.
It is not simply on the field where McGinn makes his mark. The 29-year-old helped Villa out of the Championship in 2019 and has been part of this journey from the beginning.
He was made captain by Steven Gerrard two summers ago and impressed Emery enough to retain the armband. Under the Spaniard, McGinn has improved again and been one of the most consistent midfielders in the top flight this season.
John McGinn was sent off following a cynical challenge on Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie
McGinn will be a big miss for Villa as he is the man who knits it all together for his side
He will miss games against West Ham, Wolves and Man City as Unai Emery’s side fight to cling onto a Champions League qualification spot
Tottenham are only two points behind fourth-placed Villa so by the time McGinn returns, they may be playing catch-up.
At least the Scotland international will be able to play against Ajax on Thursday for a place in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals but his next game for Villa after that is likely to be against Brentford at Villa Park on April 6.
Villa are already without Boubacar Kamara for the rest of the season and with McGinn now unavailable, they look worryingly short in midfield.
Unai Emery would not condemn McGinn and regards Tim Iroegbunam highly, but the academy product does not yet look ready to be a starter in central midfield in the Premier League.
If Emery decides against using Iroegbunam, he may try Jacob Ramsey in that spot, providing the midfielder recovers from injury soon. Though Ramsey has always been used on the flank by Emery, he has the attributes to contribute effectively in the middle.
With Villa’s top-four prospects on a knife edge it is also time for Moussa Diaby to demonstrate why the club made him their record signing.
The Frenchman cost £45million from Bayer Leverkusen last summer and was instantly placed in Villa’s top earning bracket, collecting well in excess of £100,000 a week.
Villa need better showings from Moussa Diaby who they forked out £45m for last summer
Following a promising start in which Diaby claimed four goals and six assists before the turn of the year, he is now without a goal since the 3-2 win over Burnley on December 30. His cross for Lucas Digne’s winner at Luton on March 2 is his only assist in 2024.
These numbers are not good enough. Villa boss Unai Emery urges patience with Diaby yet while all overseas signings need time to settle, Diaby flew out of the blocks, scoring on his debut at Newcastle and recording three goals and five assists by the end of October. In these pages we even wondered why wealthier English clubs had given Villa a clear run at him.
The sparkling form of Bailey and Youri Tielemans’ steady progress relegated Diaby to the bench but Villa cannot rely on only Bailey and Watkins for attacking punch. Emery does not trust Jhon Duran and Nicolo Zaniolo has not delivered either – yet these players were transfer gambles. That is not the case for Diaby, who was bought on the strength of his excellent form in the Bundesliga.
A record signing and high earner cannot stay on the periphery like this. At some point they have to take centre stage and for Diaby, that time is now.
