OPINION
Aston Villa ended a run of five games without a win with a 2-0 victory over Rotherham on Tuesday, thanks to goals from Tammy Abraham and Yannick Bolasie.
The Premier League loan duo showed their class by deciding the game in Villa’s favour, with Bolasie doing so in an electric 17 minute spell off the bench.
It’s vital, then, that the pair continue their fine form against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. Abraham will almost certainly do so after forging a terrific partnership with Jonathan Kodjia up front, but Bolaise must be elevated from the substitute bench.
The 6ft DR Congo international [Source: Transfermarkt] is simply a class above most Championship defenders, and he must be used regularly by Steve Bruce moving forwards.
The 29-year-old is only two years removed from commanding a £25million transfer fee when he joined Everton from Crystal Palace, and that quality was evidenced against the Millers on Tuesday.
His pace is frightening, while his unpredictable nature makes him near impossible to defend when he’s on his game. Anwar El Ghazi is a decent player, but Bolasie needs to start in his place.
With Abraham and Kodjia forming a fantastic duo up top, Bolasie needs to be part of the midfield unit providing the frontmen with ammunition.
Alongside the likes of Jack Grealish and John McGinn, Bolasie can help form one of the finest midfields in the Championship, and is capable of taking this Villa team to the next level.
Players like Abraham and Bolasie are brought to second tier teams for one reason: to secure promotion. That is undoubtedly the team’s aim this season, and utilising the former Crystal Palace man is only going to speed up that process.
There are not many players in the Premier League, let alone the Championship, who possess Bolasie’s eccentric mix of pace, trickery and unpredictability – he’s similar to Liverpool’s Sadio Mane in that way – and he can be a nightmare to defend against.
Bruce has the strikers in place to fire Villa to promotion, now he needs a midfield capable of both providing and scoring goals. Bolasie is a big piece in that puzzle, and he must enter the fray from the start against Wednesday.