Paul Merson has backed Aston Villa to get back to winning ways when they travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham on Saturday.
The last time Aston Villa made this trip, they got well-beat by the London side and it proved to be Steven Gerrard’s final game in charge of the club.
The rest is history because Unai Emery would then enter the Aston Villa building and the club is now on some journey.
Although, that took a bit of a hit when Manchester United secured a 2-1 win at Villa Park last Sunday.
That’s why Paul Merson feels fourth-placed Tottenham will ‘finish above’ Unai Emery’s men when the final ball is kicked in May, as he told Sportskeeda.
Only one point separates the two, with the possibility that fifth spot also opens up for Champions League football, but that’s not yet guaranteed.
Nonetheless, Paul Merson explains why he feels his former side will secure a 2-1 win against Marco Silva’s Fulham.
Fulham v Aston Villa
“Fulham are a funny team,” said Merson.
“Armando Broja really struggled to score goals for Chelsea in the first half of the season, but they suddenly took him on loan thinking he’ll score a bunch for them! The home side always have a go and that will play into Aston Villa’s hands, so I expect them to win this one.
“Right now, I fancy Tottenham to finish above Villa in the race for a top-four spot, but as we’ve seen countless times before, football changes so quickly!”
Bouncing back after injuries
The injuries to the team have hurt the fans more than the actual defeats, it’s been very damaging, with Boubacar Kamara out for the rest of the season.
Not forgetting Diego Carlos and the worries around Ezri Konsa, but on a plus side, Tyrone Mings has returned to training.
The only way to try and ease this pain is by putting up three points against Fulham.
Yes, the defeat to Man United was bitterly disappointing, but the performance was very strong, with that cutting edge just lacking.
Unfortunately for Aston Villa, the injuries just keep flooding in at the worst possible time for the club.
Everything that has gone wrong in the past 10 or so days is going wrong, including losing to Manchester United and watching Boubacar Kamara’s season end with an ACL injury.
But the vast majority of the forward players are still on the training pitch and Unai Emery needs to get them going again ahead of a busy fixture list.
One man whose form has dipped off in recent months has been Moussa Diaby, after a strong start at Aston Villa, he has only scored once and assisted once in the Premier League since October.
During that period, the 24-year-old’s game time has also started to reduce, with only five starts since December and he hasn’t completed 90 minutes since November.
But when Moussa Diaby was introduced into the action on Sunday, he was on the field of play at the same time as Leon Bailey.
Whilst many Aston Villa fans were left frustrated with the manager proceeding to sub off the Jamaican, during the brief time they were on the pitch, they were causing havoc and it was the best the Frenchman had played in a while.
It’s pretty clear, going forward, if the gaffer wants to get the best out of his big-money summer signing, then start him alongside Leon Bailey.
The duo have this connection, plus the opposition’s back four hates playing against both of them, rather than being able to double or triple up on just the one of them.
With Boubacar Kamara leaving a void in the middle of the park, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Douglas Luiz steps further back and becomes the defensive brain in midfield. He has done it before.
It would be risky, but making that attacking change by pushing Moussa Diaby into the XI would excite the fans and ensure we go into these final few months on the front foot and nothing else.
Moussa Diaby needs time
Villa fans would have learnt from Bailey and how judging Diaby on this season alone isn’t worth the risk because it will come back to bite you in the back.
Once Bailey settled into his environment in B6, he has proven to be unreal for us and there is no reason why the new boy can’t do the same.
This just might be a case of him needing this setting in period, and if fans don’t see the best of him again this season, then they surely will for the next campaign.
Either way, remain patient with the speedster because he will come good and will showcase to the world why we brought him in.
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