Aston Villa's shaky run of form continued on Saturday afternoon as they scraped a 1-1 draw at home against relegation-battling Leeds United at Villa Park.
Anton Stach scored a stunning free-kick in the first-half to catch out goalkeeper Emi Martinez, and the Whites looked like they were going to be able to hold out for all three points until substitute Tammy Abraham forced home a strike in the 88th minute following an Ezri Konsa header from a corner.
It meant the points were shared, leaving Villa with just one win from their last five games in all competitions, but Unai Emery will know that he got it wrong in the January window after watching the performance of one star in particular.
Emery Got Leon Bailey Decision Wrong
Leon Bailey in action for Aston Villa
Emery handed Jamaica international Leon Bailey his first start in the Premier League for over a year against Leeds, with the winger having returned from a failed loan spell at AS Roma in January after underperforming in Serie A.
The Spanish coach is best known for his ability to get the maximum out of all the players in his squad, regardless of their previous form or problems, but Bailey is someone that has struggled despite an impressive start when he first arrived at the club.
Bailey started on the wing and had a stinker. According to Sofascore, he lost possession 17 times, completed just two of six attempted dribbles, accrued an xG of 0.04, won just two of 11 ground duels, and successful completed just two of five cross attempts, which earned him a 4/10 rating from John Townley.
The performance saw him substituted just after the hour mark as Villa chased an equaliser, but it was also the perfect summary of where he is right now and what his future at the club holds.
Emery got it wrong starting him, and it's also clear that he got it wrong by bringing back into the fold with the first-team too. He's simply not good enough anymore.
Bailey Has No Future at Aston Villa
Leon Bailey in action for Aston Villa
Villa clearly made the decision in the summer that the player wasn't of the level required anymore, and they were willing to let him move on for a new challenge.
Bringing him back was likely done more from a numbers point of view, having allowed Donyell Malen and Evann Guessand to leave during the transfer window, but playing him was a mistake by the manager.
It's clear that he has no long-term future at Villa Park, and Emery should be focusing on using the players he actually wants there to get results rather than handing out pity minutes to keep players happy. The gap to the teams below them in the league keeps closing, and he must get ruthless if he wants to ensure the team are playing in the Champions League next season.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery looks on Related
'World-Class' Star Wants to Join Aston Villa This Summer to Work With Unai Emery
A 'world-class' Champions League star wants to join Aston Villa this summer to work with Unai Emery.