After the international break, Aston Villa is getting ready to play again in the Premier League on Sunday, November 26, when they travel to Tottenham Hotspur.
With a victory over Spurs, Unai Emery’s team will be hoping to build on their stellar start to the campaign. They are currently one point behind Ange Postecoglou’s team in fifth place and could move into the Champions League spots.
After John McGinn hobbled off late in Scotland’s draw with Norway on Sunday, November 19, it had looked as though Unai Emery would be without his captain in midfield. However, there is now a suggestion that the 29-year-old might be healthy enough to play against Spurs.
After John McGinn hobbled off late in Scotland’s draw with Norway on Sunday, November 19, it had looked as though Unai Emery would be without his captain in midfield. However, there is now a suggestion that the 29-year-old might be healthy enough to play against Spurs.
Despite the initial concerns about his injury, Tom Collomosse (November 23) reports that the midfielder has been evaluated by Villa’s medical staff and there is increasing “optimism” that he will be able to travel to North London.
Even though Aston Villa fans will be relieved, Emery, who has used the midfielder whenever feasible this season, will be pleased with the development. McGinn has only missed an hour of league action this season, having started all 12 of Villa’s Premier League games and playing 1020 minutes.
The 29-year-old has started and participated in 89% of Villa’s Europa Conference League group games in Europe. He has also started Emery’s team’s lone Carabao Cup match this year. McGinn played seventy-five percent of the minutes against Hibernian, even after Villa made changes in the Conference League qualifiers.
McGinn has played 1521 of the 1710 minutes that Aston Villa has played this season, or 88.9% of the total, across all competitions. It is obvious that Emery wants the Scotsman in his starting lineup whenever he is healthy.
Few midfielders in the Premier League have shown to be as much of a goal threat as the Villa captain, so the Spaniard has good reason to be concerned.
Even though McGinn only takes 1.06 shots per game on average, he ranks in the top 9% of positional peers in England’s top flight for non-penalty goals per 90 minutes this season [Fbref]. The Scottish international, whose assists per ninety minutes are in the 87th percentile, is also a creative force.
Compared to 76% of midfielders in the Premier League, McGinn averages 3.63 shot-creating actions per game and has been very difficult to take out this season. When it came to successful take-ons, he scored in the 94th percentile among his positional peers.
However, Emery must ensure that McGinn doesn’t burn out this season because he has played too much football. McGinn has regularly made upwards of 35 starts in a season for Villa both in the Championship and the Premier League, but he has never had to contend with European football. Even if Villa didn’t make it out of their group, they would have played an extra 720 minutes of football this season than last, including the qualifiers against Hibs. While the temptation will be to start McGinn against Spurs, Emery could do worse than give his captain a rest, especially after his scare during the international break.
