Villa boss confirms John McGinn will miss Chelsea meeting while backing Ollie Watkins and Tammy Abraham amid dip in form
Aston Villa head into Wednesday night’s crucial Premier League meeting with Chelsea under mounting pressure after a difficult run of results dented their top-four ambitions.
Friday’s shock defeat away at bottom side Wolves followed a frustrating home draw with relegation-threatened Leeds, meaning Villa have won just one of their last five Premier League matches.
Manchester United have since climbed above them into third, while Liverpool are now just three points behind.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s visit to Villa Park, Unai Emery confirmed captain John McGinn will not be available.
“We need other leaders. John McGinn, of course, is very important, but he’s not available for tomorrow,” Emery said.
The Scotland international is edging closer to full fitness, but the Chelsea fixture comes too soon.
“He’s progressively getting better, but we have enough players to keep our consistency, to get our performance, and to feel comfortable with the players we have,” Emery added.
Despite recent setbacks, the Villa boss insisted his belief in the squad remains intact.
“I believe, of course, even when we are not achieving it, I continue believing in them.”
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Watkins and Abraham backed to deliver
With goals harder to come by in recent weeks, attention has naturally turned to Villa’s attacking options, including Ollie Watkins and Tammy Abraham.
Emery was quick to stress that competition for places up front has been a constant during his tenure.
“Always, he had here another competitive striker. Danny Ings, Jhon Durán, [Marcus] Rashford, [Donyell] Malen, and now, it’s Tammy Abraham,” he explained.
“We need both strikers, and we need both strikers playing in their best and feeling comfortable with our structure.”
The Villa manager made clear that responsibility for scoring does not rest solely on the shoulders of his forwards.
“When we are not scoring goals, it’s not only the responsibility for the strikers, it’s for the team, it’s my responsibility,” Emery said.
