It was a case of job done for Aston Villa after they defeated Young Boys in the Europa League on Thursday night, but not everyone emerged with their head held high.
A first-half brace from Donyell Malen put Villa in cruise control and the hosts largely controlled proceedings before the deficit was halved on the stroke of the final whistle, Joel Monteiro setting up a nervy finish.
Unai Emery rotated his side, handing starts to Victor Lindelof, Jadon Sancho and Malen, but there was no place for Harvey Elliott, who was again an unused substitute. Villa will have to trigger his £35million permanent clause if he plays just 10 matches this season, and GIVEMESPORT understands talks will be held over a potential return to Anfield in the New Year.
Contrastingly, summer signing Evann Guessand was given a chance to impress, but yet again, didn't take it.
Evann Guessand Poor vs Young Boys
Aston Villa's Evann Guessand runs with the ball against Young Boys
He was given a lowly 5.5/10 in GIVEMESPORT's player ratings, and his statistics painted a picture of a player out of his depth.
Guessand lost possession no fewer than 12 times and recorded just one shot on target in another profligate performance. Damningly, only one of his crosses found a team-mate, despite him moving into promising positions numerous times over the 90 minutes.
Making matters worse, the 24-year-old completed six of his 11 attempted passes into the opposition half, proving that, while he was rarely given the ball by his team-mates, he simply didn't do enough to prove why he should start.
Supporters look to have already lost patience with him, and it is hard to blame them. At present, he lacks both quality and confidence, a deadly mixture for forwards looking to ply their trade in the Premier League, and the intensity at the top level looks too much for him.
Villa's £30m Gamble Backfires
Evann Guessand applauds Aston Villa's supporters
Guessand has just one goal to his name from his first 16 matches at Villa, and has been snatching at his opportunities in front of goal. His lack of game time admittedly doesn't help his cause, but there are major question marks over whether £30m was wasted on him.
At this early stage, the numbers suggest so.
He has not become a bad player overnight, having scored 13 goals in 40 matches for Nice last season and been voted as their joint player of the campaign, but his move to Villa Park just hasn't worked out.
Capable of playing anywhere across the front line, Guessand was influential in his former club's fourth-place finish last time out. Indeed, only five players were involved in more goals in Ligue 1, while his numbers stacked up well in comparison to Ollie Watkins. The Ivorian also outperformed his expected goals tally, more so than Watkins and Marcus Rashford, and looked diligent with his defensive duties.
However, Emery has little time for players not pulling their weight, so Guessand must start delivering. The clock is ticking.
Guessand Joined Villa For Emery
Unai Emery looks on during Aston Villa v Young Boys
After putting pen to paper at Villa Park, Guessand admitted Emery had been the deciding factor in his decision to join the club.
To be honest, our talks were the main point, because he really is the person who convinced me to come here, and of course we know the career of this coach.
A long time ago, I saw him in the French league, and he’s known for the way he used to improve the players he used to work with, so I was thinking about this. I’m a young player and I want to improve.
I have many qualities that can improve, so when I spoke with the coach, I (knew) this is the right coach for me to become better and better.
All statistics courtesy of Fotmob - accurate as of 28/11/2025