Aston Villa's 2-0 win against Maccabi Tel Aviv was the perfect opportunity for Evann Guessand to show his true potential in favourable circumstances.
The supporter-less Israeli side caused more problems for Villa than many would have expected; not only did they prove difficult to break down in the early stages until a brilliant goal which required intricate link-up and movement between Jadon Sancho, Morgan Rogers and Ian Maatsen, but Emi Martinez was also frequently called into action to prevent an upset from becoming a genuine possibility.
Nonetheless, Villa always seemed in control and ultimately produced a professional performance with a rotated team that never had to get close to hitting top gear. They're the calibre of opposition Guessand should've had some joy against, but even when facing the Israeli side, the summer signing seemed to lack quality and struggled with the intensity of playing at this level.
Guessand's Game in Numbers
Evann Guessand during a pre-match warm-up with Nice
GiveMeSport issued Guessand a performance rating of just 5/10 and his in-game statistics illustrate why. The Ivory Coast international failed to make an attempt at goal, register a key pass or even complete a successful dribble. He was also dispossessed three times - the most of any Villa player - and have just 31 touches of the ball, the second-least of any Villa starter, after Donyell Malen.
Whereas Malen was incredibly efficient in converting his limited participation into offensive threat - he took six shots from just 21 touches and scored Villa's second from the spot - Guessand simply struggled to get into the game, and did very little with the ball when he had it.
More than once, an overhit cross from the left-hand side drifted over to Guessand at the far post. But every time, he attempted to acrobatically keep the ball in play, only to find himself overstretched and putting it out for a goal kick. They weren't exactly passes on a plate for him, but he demonstrated a worrying lack of quality in those situations when he could've done a lot better.
In other moments, the former Nice forward seemed to simply be lacking the confidence to take possession and make something happen, often returning the ball to the passer rather than trying to beat his defender.
£23.5m Wasted for Villa
unai emery
Villa spent decent money on Guessand after a breakthrough season in France, bagging 12 goals and 8 assists in 33 Ligue 1 appearances for Nice. He clearly wasn't a knee-jerk signing for the Villans either; they signed him in early August, when there was plenty of time left in the transfer window to consider other options, and forked out a £23.5m fee - not huge money by modern standards, but not a nominal amount either.
It's still early days for Guessand, but at the moment it's looking like money wasted. This wasn't his first opportunity in a Villa shirt — Unai Emery has used him frequently in the Premier League and the Europa League. However, he's produced minimal output with just one goal in all competitions, which came against Go Ahead Eagles in Villa's previous Europa League fixture.
Some forwards are much better on the counter-attack, and that could be the case with Guessand who was never really afforded the space to break onto Maccabi Tel Aviv. But there was a lack of ingenuity and cleverness throughout, and that should be a concern when considering the amount of teams who will surrender possession and territory to a quality Villa side throughout this season.
Fans Concerned for Harvey Elliott
harvey elliott
Guessand wasn't the only attacking player Villa signed this summer. Fitting the 'knee-jerk' description were Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott, who both arrived on loan late in the window. Sancho is still yet to have a significant impact but enjoyed a productive night against Maccabi Tel Aviv - Elliott, meanwhile, had to settle for a place on the bench.
Villa have an obligation to buy the Liverpool loanee outright for £35m if he plays a certain number of games, and it seems Emery has little intention of allowing that clause to come into effect. Villa supporters on social media have expressed concern for Elliott in light of Guessand continuing to get chances despite struggling to impress.
One said: "If Guessand is playing and Elliot isn’t that tells you how bad he’s been."
Another added: "Will take the W but that was a bad watch. Guessand starting ahead of Elliot is baffling because that guy is honking. Youri back tho."
And a third supporter said: "Elliot not coming on in that game for me is the biggest sign that he could be going back in Jan & a clause could be in the deal. Feel for him, especially when there are other players low on confidence like Guessand."
And another stated: "Generally feel for the lad, when he's sat there watching the likes of Guessand he must be fuming inside. Emery great Manager but his record with transfers at #avfc dire."
Criticism for Guessand
Evann Guessand celebrates scoring for Aston Villa
Others, meanwhile, simply had criticism for the ex-Nice attacker. One even described him as "the most useless winger we've ever had, totally clueless".
Another said: "Guessand is the worst winger we have had since Nigel Callaghan".
Another Villa fan added: "Guessand was appalling even by his atrocious standards. He’s an absolute dud. A lot of minutes for some fringe players."
Finally, a supporter claimed: "I’ve watched villa 5-10 times this season and I swear that Guessand has looked awful but is always starting the next game."
Emi Buendia came off the bench for Villa on Thursday night after a brief absence through injury. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if he started ahead of Guessand against Bournemouth on Sunday.