Angus is an experienced football journalist at Football FanCast, specialising in Premier League reporting, opinion writing and in-depth football analysis. Since graduating from Southampton Solent University in 2022, he has developed extensive experience covering the English game, producing thousands of articles across a wide range of clubs and competitions.  

Before joining Football FanCast, Angus led VAVEL's Brighton & Hove Albion department, gaining valuable experience in club-specific reporting and editorial leadership. He subsequently joined Football FanCast through Snack Media's academy, now part of Valnet, and has progressed into the publication's Opinions and Features team.
 

As one of Football FanCast's longest-serving writers, Angus has covered numerous major developments across the Premier League, combining breaking news experience with detailed features and considered opinions. His work draws on years of reporting to provide context behind performances, transfer activity and the wider issues shaping English football.

Unai Emery has earned his flowers at Aston Villa.

After winning the Europa League last season, the jaws of financial unfairness clamped down on Villa Park, with numerous superstars sold.

There have been a fair few rebuilds in the Premier League in recent years, and many have fallen flat. It’s clearly difficult to reconstruct a well-built squad, but Emery has done it.

The issue is that the bar has been raised. And it’s now exposing one or two members of the Villan persuasion, with Lamare Bogarde leaving a lot to be desired once again as Bournemouth won 3-0 on Wednesday evening.

Why Lamar Bogarde is struggling at Aston Villa

In fairness to Bogarde, he was out of position. The 22-year-old played at right-back against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup.

It will not be lost on Bogarde or the various other Villa fringe players who flattered to receive by the seaside that they are now out of a competition which champions minutes for those who struggle to feature consistently in the league.

Bogarde joined Aston Villa's academy back in 2020. He has since gone from strength to strength, establishing himself in the first team, featuring 66 times. However, it's clear that Emery doesn't rate him all that highly as a mainstay.

For example, he has been an unused substitute for seven straight Premier League games, and featured for only 16 minutes in the opening game of the season.

Bogarde disappointed - again. However, he wasn't the only one, with another member of Emery's backline sticking out like a sore thumb on the south coast.

Aston Villa mainstay mustn't start in the Premier League again

Obviously, Aston Villa's manager may need to call upon players who are not quite hitting the right notes if the situation arises. However, going forward, Emery may want to make a few changes for the good of his rebuilt system.

One of which must be removing Tyrone Mings from his starting line-up in the Premier League. The veteran defender has been a stalwart for the Villa Park side, but it's time for him to take the backbench.

In fairness, he didn't work well in partnership with Bogarde, but on-the-ball limitations and a hesitance to get stuck in with tackles has prevented him from becoming a true mainstay in Villa's backline over the past four years of 'Emeryball'.

Against Bournemouth, it was another shaky showing. He should have prevented Juanlu Sánchez from getting the shot away that led to the corner from which Lewis Cook doubled the home side's lead. In isolation, this seems a bit pedantic, but costly mistakes are becoming part of the furniture in Mings' house - and he's not getting any younger.

Beside him, Taylor Harwood-Bellis wasn't much better, but whereas Mings is 33 years old and out of contract at the end of the season, his counterpart made only his second start for Aston Villa after joining from Southampton for £25m this summer.

And, of course, Emery has further options at his disposal. Victor Lindelof has played every minute of the Premier League campaign this term, and Pau Torres, after a choppy start, impacted by injuries, featured from the starting whistle against Manchester City last weekend, composed throughout and showcasing the ball-playing ability that eludes Mings. He played confidently through City's high press.

Bogarde and Mings are on two opposite ends of the spectrum, but there's no question that neither are cutting the mustard as starting options in Emery's ambitious project.

Bogarde's youthful avidity and versatility makes him a handy tool in the system, but Mings is becoming a liability, and unless injury-related disaster strikes over the coming months, his aerial expertise and ravenous hunger to make clearances might be best served for the later stages of intense games, if and when the Villa are under the cosh.