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Nakamba might fit well in Unai Emery's philosophy
26 Oct 2022 at 00:52hrs | Views
WARRIORS midfielder Marvelous Nakamba might just fit well in new Aston Villa manager Unai Emery's philosophy.
The 28-year-old Zimbabwean has not seen game-time at the Clarets and Blue in the English Premiership football this season.
He was hugely a loner, fighting for a starting berth which never came under ousted mentor Steven Gerrard.
The Villains have now replaced the former England and Liverpool captain with former Arsenal manager Emery.
The latter has gained a lot of coaching experience across Europe with remarkable success too.
He has recently been in charge of Spanish La Liga side Villarreal which he helped transform into a competitive outfit.
And his philosophy, which borders on hard work, might just be what Nakamba needs to get going again.
He had largely been reduced into dead wood under Gerrard and his confidence might have just been hit hard, given he had either been out of the match-day squad or a bench-warmer.
With a proven record of putting extra work in the middle of the park, Nakamba may soon start to see himself in the thick of things with an admirer of effort now the Villa Park boss.
Emery often thrives on a 4-1-4-1 formation which deploys a flat back-four with a single shield in front of them.
Sometimes, the former Sevilla and Arsenal coach goes with the flexible 4-2-3-1 structure.
Playing directly in front of a four-man defence is Nakamba's speciality and the Hwange-born midfielder can keep his fingers crossed while putting in the work at training.
Caretaker gaffer Aaron Danks will, however, continue to be in temporary charge of the Birmingham side until November 1 as Emery awaits his paperwork.
That means Nakamba also has to work to be in the squad who have a date against Newcastle in Villa's next encounter.
The midfielder has previously been linked with a move to St James Park and it will be interesting to see how he fares should he be given the nod to play a role against a club that also wanted to take on board Emery as their manager.
It will also be interesting to see how Nakamba performs under Emery.
It's a decisive phase for the Zimbabwean who came close to leaving Aston Villa on August 31, hours before the close of the transfer window.
Gerrard had made it clear Nakamba's availability at Villa Park was not that important as he suggested the Zimbabwean had become excess baggage.
"Nothing can change as of now, the window's shut so there should be a hunger and a will to want to perform and do the best they (Nakamba and other players) can.
"They (Nakamba, Morgan Sanson and Frederic Guilbert) are contracted here to Aston Villa and I'll certainly get a feel of all those players of where they are at with their thinking, with what they tell me and the feedback I get and we'll go from there," Gerrard told The Birmingham Mail last month.
"There are obviously a few players who I assume would have liked, or had the opportunity to go elsewhere, like Morgan Sanson, or Nakamba for example. It is important I have a chat with all these players face-to-face. But they are very much human beings with feelings.
"You have to understand everyone's situation. That is the issue the window brings for a lot of managers and a lot of clubs, when it is five or six games into the season."
And Nakamba cannot afford the same brutal assessment from Emery as that will most certainly spell doom for his Villa future.
He has a chance to prove himself under a fresh mind and the ball is firmly in his court.
After all, as widely expected, Nakamba, if he proves his mettle, could stay even longer at Villa Park.
Meanwhile, another Warriors star Jordan Zemura sparkled in vain and was even unfortunate to concede a VAR penalty when his English Premier League side Bournemouth lost 2-0 against West Ham on Monday night.
The 22-year-old is creeping back into the Cherries first team, having been benched in the previous two games.
He did start on the bench on Monday night and was introduced for Ryan Fredricks with 57 minutes into the match.
Zemura didn't take time to change the complexion and dimension of attack from his flank.
Everything was shaping up as the Zimbabwean probed from the left channel.
Bournemouth had taken the initiative and looked very likely to score an equaliser before the unfortunate Zemura, while sliding down, handled inside the box.
A wide consultation with the VAR resulted in a penalty being awarded for the London side.
Despite the mishap, Zemura still earned a 60 percent rating for his contribution and he proved he deserved a starting berth in the team, again.
The 28-year-old Zimbabwean has not seen game-time at the Clarets and Blue in the English Premiership football this season.
He was hugely a loner, fighting for a starting berth which never came under ousted mentor Steven Gerrard.
The Villains have now replaced the former England and Liverpool captain with former Arsenal manager Emery.
The latter has gained a lot of coaching experience across Europe with remarkable success too.
He has recently been in charge of Spanish La Liga side Villarreal which he helped transform into a competitive outfit.
And his philosophy, which borders on hard work, might just be what Nakamba needs to get going again.
He had largely been reduced into dead wood under Gerrard and his confidence might have just been hit hard, given he had either been out of the match-day squad or a bench-warmer.
With a proven record of putting extra work in the middle of the park, Nakamba may soon start to see himself in the thick of things with an admirer of effort now the Villa Park boss.
Emery often thrives on a 4-1-4-1 formation which deploys a flat back-four with a single shield in front of them.
Sometimes, the former Sevilla and Arsenal coach goes with the flexible 4-2-3-1 structure.
Playing directly in front of a four-man defence is Nakamba's speciality and the Hwange-born midfielder can keep his fingers crossed while putting in the work at training.
Caretaker gaffer Aaron Danks will, however, continue to be in temporary charge of the Birmingham side until November 1 as Emery awaits his paperwork.
That means Nakamba also has to work to be in the squad who have a date against Newcastle in Villa's next encounter.
The midfielder has previously been linked with a move to St James Park and it will be interesting to see how he fares should he be given the nod to play a role against a club that also wanted to take on board Emery as their manager.
It will also be interesting to see how Nakamba performs under Emery.
Gerrard had made it clear Nakamba's availability at Villa Park was not that important as he suggested the Zimbabwean had become excess baggage.
"Nothing can change as of now, the window's shut so there should be a hunger and a will to want to perform and do the best they (Nakamba and other players) can.
"They (Nakamba, Morgan Sanson and Frederic Guilbert) are contracted here to Aston Villa and I'll certainly get a feel of all those players of where they are at with their thinking, with what they tell me and the feedback I get and we'll go from there," Gerrard told The Birmingham Mail last month.
"There are obviously a few players who I assume would have liked, or had the opportunity to go elsewhere, like Morgan Sanson, or Nakamba for example. It is important I have a chat with all these players face-to-face. But they are very much human beings with feelings.
"You have to understand everyone's situation. That is the issue the window brings for a lot of managers and a lot of clubs, when it is five or six games into the season."
And Nakamba cannot afford the same brutal assessment from Emery as that will most certainly spell doom for his Villa future.
He has a chance to prove himself under a fresh mind and the ball is firmly in his court.
After all, as widely expected, Nakamba, if he proves his mettle, could stay even longer at Villa Park.
Meanwhile, another Warriors star Jordan Zemura sparkled in vain and was even unfortunate to concede a VAR penalty when his English Premier League side Bournemouth lost 2-0 against West Ham on Monday night.
The 22-year-old is creeping back into the Cherries first team, having been benched in the previous two games.
He did start on the bench on Monday night and was introduced for Ryan Fredricks with 57 minutes into the match.
Zemura didn't take time to change the complexion and dimension of attack from his flank.
Everything was shaping up as the Zimbabwean probed from the left channel.
Bournemouth had taken the initiative and looked very likely to score an equaliser before the unfortunate Zemura, while sliding down, handled inside the box.
A wide consultation with the VAR resulted in a penalty being awarded for the London side.
Despite the mishap, Zemura still earned a 60 percent rating for his contribution and he proved he deserved a starting berth in the team, again.
Source - The Herald
