OPINION
Aston Villa were lucky to salvage a point on Friday against Sheffield United in the 3-3 draw, but there was one player who did not deserve to be on the pitch.
That player is Jonathan Kodjia, who was linked with a move away from Villa Park in January – however, after his display a couple of days ago, boss Dean Smith will be wondering why he did not get rid of the 29-year-old whilst he had the chance.
His main position is operating as a centre-forward, but Smith gave him the task playing on the right of the midfield, and it is safe to say that he was rather off the boil.
He struggled to make much of an impact on the game in the slightest, and he made it difficult to get past his man time and time again.
This is why the axe beckons for Kodjia, as it is clear that his involvement had a real impact on the result being a draw rather than a win- which is why he was substituted on the hour mark.
His teammates clearly outplayed him in the middle of the park – for example John McGinn – as well as the opposition’s midfield, and this should be a huge cause for concern for Smith.
With his team currently chasing a play-off spot in the Championship but sitting in tenth place, now could not be a better time for the manager to axe a player who is having zero impact with his contributions.
Villa are six points off 6th place at the moment, so they have a lot of making up to do, and one way they can do that is without having the woeful Kodjia in the starting XI.
Here’s hoping that Smith makes the right call on Wednesday, otherwise their play-off bid could go up in smoke.