Tottenham Hotspur ran out 2-1 winners at Villa Park on Sunday
Villa manager Unai Emery made seven changes for the fixture
West Ham sit 18th in the Premier League with three games to go
If West Ham United are relegated from the Premier League this season, many supporters may point to the past weekend being the decisive point in such an outcome.
The Hammers were unable to extend their gap on relegation rival Tottenham Hotspur – who at the time occupied the final demotion spot – after they were defeated 3-0 at Brentford on Saturday. The following day, Spurs would surprisingly sweep past Aston Villa and leapfrog the Irons.
Whilst shock results are common in the uber-competitive scene of Premier League football, especially at this time of the season, the context of what unfolded at Villa Park – with manager Unai Emery fielding a heavily rotated side despite still competing for Champions League qualification – meant that the decision was looked at from a suspicious lens.
Unai Emery defends team selection decision in viral probe
All season long, Villa have had to contest with the schedule of managing midweek European football contention. Emery’s side are currently trailing 1-0 in their Europa League first leg with Nottingham Forest, with the alluring prospect of winning the competition and ending an almost-50-year trophy drought while qualifying for the Champions League.
There is no doubting that the Spanish coach is within his right to mix around his squad ahead of Thurday’s second leg, but many will question the uncharacteristic lack of intensity and intention that the Midlands side displayed.
Before Sunday, Villa had won nine of their twelve Premier League matches after European fixtures this season. Also held a four-match-winning run against their North London opposition over the last 15 months.
However, Emery notably left Ollie Watkins, his primary goal threat, and three of his first-choice defenders on the bench, as his side expectedly failed to command any sort of territorial threat and suffered defeat.
It was striking following the match, an impassioned Emery addressed external outrage over his Aston Villa team selection amid claims he had damaged the Premier League’s reputation.
After Villa’s loss to Tottenham, which puts West Ham on the verge of relegation, Emery defended his rotation of the team during an interview with BBC Sport that has reached viral status.
When asked by the Beeb reporter whether the seven changes he made was an impactful factor on how his side played, Emery responded: “Last week we lost against Fulham, and which players played against Fulham? And which players played against Nottingham [Forrest]? And we lost (those) two matches, and we lost as well [against Spurs] with other players.
“Okay, so [that shows] we can lose and we can win with any of the players.”
Probed on whether “cohesion was a problem”, Emery added, “When we are losing, of course [cohesion is a problem], but we lost on Thursday. We lost in Fulham, and which players played?”
After the reporter stated that he was “just asking the question”, the Spaniard would end the line of questioning with a tense one-liner: “Okay, and I am answering you.”
Implications of unexpected result
Villa’s rotation evidently places the onus on their European clash with Nottingham Forest. The latter are in action with Chelsea today, and anything other than a result leaves them within the grasp of West Ham, albeit with a superior goal difference – keeping them in relegation conversations.
West Ham are now faced with a dwindling battle to maintain their top-flight status. Although Spurs are only one point clear of safety, they enter the final stretch games knowing that survival is firmly in their hands.
This weekend, West Ham will play Arsenal at the London Stadium, Spurs will host Leeds and Forest will welcome Newcastle following their trip to Stamford Bridge on Monday.