Aston Villa boss Unai Emery would happily trade entertainment value for points
Football might be an entertainment business yet Unai Emery might be forgiven for desiring a relatively boring afternoon when Villa host Crystal Palace tomorrow.
Such has been the contrast between home and away form, the Spaniard must sometimes feel like he is coaching two entirely different teams.
Dogged but generally effective on the road, Villa have been open and unreliable on their own turf, albeit a great watch for the neutral. While the five Premier League away matches under Emery have delivered four wins and just 12 combined goals, six home games have served up 25 goals, of which 14 have been scored in the home net – including eight in back-to-back 4-2 losses to Leicester and Arsenal.
“We are giving our supporters more opportunities to be happy away than we are at home,” admitted Emery after last weekend’s 2-0 win at Everton.
The visit of a Palace team winless in eight matches – the longest current run in the Premier League – would appear at first glance the ideal opportunity to start putting that record straight. But Leicester were five without a win before taking maximum points in B6 a month ago and Emery knows nothing can be taken for granted.
With Philippe Coutinho out with a hamstring problem, the boss must decide whether to reintroduce Emi Buendia to the starting XI after his impressive substitute cameo at Goodison Park. Alex Moreno is also pushing to start over Lucas Digne, with the pair sharing playing time at left-back.
Palace, who suddenly find themselves just six points clear of the relegation zone, are hoping to welcome back Wilfried Zaha after a month out with a hamstring tear.
