Why Emery should start both Rashford and Asensio in PSG second leg
Unai Emery will never be a natural gambler but he may need to take a risk on Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio to have a chance of reaching the Champions League semi-finals.
Since Aston Villa’s loan stars arrived in the winter, Emery has been reluctant to include both from the off. He did so in the FA Cup wins over Preston and Cardiff but facing a team in the lower half of the Championship is one thing, facing one of the Champions League favourites quite another.
In most circumstances, Emery is right to be cautious. One of his favourite words is ‘structure’ and when Asensio and Rashford are on the pitch together, Villa look loose without the ball. Rashford does not put pressure on centre-backs and deep-lying midfielders like Ollie Watkins does. Asensio lacks the physicality of John McGinn.
Yet with Morgan Rogers urging Villa to ‘go for it’ as they try to overturn a 3-1 deficit against Paris Saint-Germain, Emery will be tempted to turn to his two most famous outfield players. In particular Asensio – who is owned by PSG – will be desperate to prove a point against his parent club and add to the eight goals he has scored for Villa already.
And while Rashford looks a player revived after his exile from Manchester United, the 27-year-old could do with a decisive performance against a top-class rival. Goals against Preston and Brighton are nice but they don’t pay the bills.
With matches against Newcastle and Manchester City to follow the second leg against PSG, as well as the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace, Rashford has plenty of chances to turn a useful loan spell into a special one.
Emery’s team for Saturday’s clash with Southampton will show us his thinking. For last weekend’s game against Nottingham Forest, the Villa boss made eight changes. It was clear then who would play at the Parc des Princes and sure enough, Emery picked the same starting XI that won 3-0 at Brighton a week ago.
But next week is different. Next week Villa need magic. Including Asensio and Rashford from the start creates issues elsewhere in the team – but it could also cause a problem or two for PSG boss Luis Enrique.
McGinn had a strong game in Paris, inspiring the move that led to Morgan Rogers’ first-half goal by barging Nuno Mendes off the ball and holding his position well against the twin threat of Vitinha and Joao Neves in midfield.
Asensio lacks the attributes to fulfil that role yet he can do things with the ball that McGinn cannot. The Spaniard is an outstanding technician – allow him time and space on his left foot, and he will punish anyone. If he is in the team, PSG’s midfielders and full-backs may have to pay a little more attention to their defensive responsibilities.
As for Rashford, Emery has used him through the middle in recent matches though when Rashford joined, Emery saw him as a left winger. With Rashford up against him instead of Jacob Ramsey, Achraf Hakimi would be a little less sure of himself, especially with Watkins, Asensio and Rogers also in the team.
Emery fought hard to bring Rashford to Villa and has worked effectively with forwards throughout his career. Since the 27-year-old moved to Villa from Old Trafford, Emery has been very careful when talking about him but he showed unusual warmth when asked about Rashford before the first leg in Paris.
‘He is a good guy – humble, a very good professional, and he is really happy with his team-mates,’ said Emery. ‘He is being demanding on himself and with everything we want to work on with him, with the team.
‘He is playing free, he feels comfortable and this is the most important thing. We try to connect with him as a person first of all, and afterwards as a player.
‘His process here is getting better, playing in two different positions. He started with us as a left-winger and now he is playing more as a striker. It’s about how he can exploit his qualities as well as he can.
‘There is still work to do but the most important thing is his feeling. We are seeing him smiling and it is the best news we can have. I am seeing him happy, committed to everything we are doing and now it’s just about watching him play.’
Emery has been similarly enthusiastic about Asensio. Can he really start both next week? It might be Villa’s only chance.
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