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UNAI EMERY ON HARVEY ELLIOTT: ‘BRILLIANT TALENT, BUT NOT YET TACTICAL’

Harvey Elliott is frustrated with his lack of playing time at Aston Villa. A report reveals Unai Emery prefers more systematic players, leaving the Liverpool loanee out of matchday squads despite his eagerness to contribute.

Unai Emery on Harvey Elliott: ‘Brilliant Talent, But Not Yet Tactical’
Emery Chooses Barkley’s Tactics Over Elliott’s Flair - Photo Credit: Getty Images

As a source explains why Unai Emery keeps passing up the Liverpool loanee, Harvey Elliott is "increasingly dissatisfied" with his lack of playing time at Aston Villa.

Elliott signed a season-long loan with Aston Villa on deadline day, with the option to purchase him for almost £35 million if he makes just ten appearances this year.

He has made six appearances so far, but just two as a starter. In the past six weeks, he has only been allowed to play four minutes off the bench, including on October 2 against Feyenoord, and he was not even included in the matchday squad for the Premier League victories against Manchester City and Bournemouth.

According to The Athletic, Elliott has not played this season "mainly because he has not yet fully adjusted to Emery's rigid footballing demands." Marco Asensio of Paris Saint-Germain and Lucas Paqueta of West Ham were also Emery's "preferred alternatives" in the summer.

Elliott was used to coming off the bench to change games for Liverpool, but Emery "prefers a more systematic approach" from his offensive midfielders.

Emery's favourite midfield alternatives are Morgan Rogers, John McGinn, and Youri Tielemans; Emiliano Beundia's comeback puts him ahead of Elliott in the hierarchy; and even Ross Barkley, who Emery usually uses more as a No. 6; recently, Barkley was called upon before the England U21 star.

Emery responded, "He is training well, and he played several matches, but the performances were not what we required," when asked why the 22-year-old was not included in the squad for the victory over City. Some players, like Rogers and Buendia, are performing well when playing as a No. 10. Ross Barkley, too, after he left.

We had to remove one guy from the team, so I chose to do so with him. I am content with him. He is training well. He is a decent man with amazing dedication. (It is) Just a strategic choice.

"The No. 10 in the Spaniard's system is a critical player who must be tactically erudite, identifying pressing triggers set by the striker, but also calm and serene in possession," according to the source. Emery clearly does not think Elliott is the right man for that role, at least not right now.

According to the report, Elliott has been "more and more unhappy over the past month since sitting on the sidelines was not what he expected or was told lay ahead when he signed." "There is a growing irritation on the player's behalf, because the situation is getting worse, not better," it continues.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

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Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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