We asked for your first names on the team-sheet for Thursday's huge Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest.
Here are some of your comments:
Prit: No question – Super John McGinn. What this season has proved is that our midfield is the engine and rock everything that is good is built from. When we had McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana we were pretty much unstoppable, and even being talked as potential champions. But what the debacle against Tottenham proved is that McGinn is the cornerstone on which our success is built.
Damo: The spine of Villa’s first XI is so well established we all know the majority of the team that will be starting on Thursday. Players like Ezri Konsa, Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins are almost ever-present. Given the importance of the match and the pressure and tension of the night, I think the most important name is John McGinn. He’s the one most likely to drag the team out of any inertia and drive us forward with energy. If we play with the right attitude, we will win this tie.
Rob: I think the team virtually picks itself: Emiliano Martinez, Matty Cash, Konsa, Lucas Digne, Tielemans, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Rogers, Jadon Sancho, Watkins. Sancho or Emi Buendia is the only tough call for me. We need more pace and creativity up top so Sancho gets the nod. He owes us a big performance!
Paul: Martinez, not just because he is the number one but he is superb in the big occasions. Outfield, the first name would be Pau Torres normally, but with a need to score it will be McGinn (if fit) – another big-game player who rises to the occasion.
Elliot: With Onana out, our biggest concern is how to control the midfield. Tielemans is a given, but I think pairing him with Luiz instead of Lamare Bogarde will give us that edge that could make or break the tie.
Shirley: I’ve been sweating on the fitness news for Onana since the first leg when he limped off. Without Kamara, he becomes key to the ‘bottom-of-the-four box mid’ Emery likes so much. With a weak pairing there we might get away with things against a tippy-tappy, typical Europa tie – but against physical Forest and their low-block – this isn’t the strongest squad by far. Juggling and moving players around to fill the Kamara/Onana sized hole starts to get ‘titanic deckchair’ like. I hope the B6 crowd doesn’t turn if the first half goes 100% pear-shaped. SCR will be the loss of Emery if this continues.
