Although he joined Aston Villa in the winter transfer window, it was not until the win over Preston North End in the FA Cup quarter-finals that Marcus Rashford scored his first goal for his new team. In previous matches, the English striker played very actively, contributing a lot to the overall play but could not score.
Rashford's lack of goals was also a common situation for Villa for a while. As of February, only the bottom 5 teams in the Premier League had fewer shots on target than the Villa Park team since the beginning of the season. That is a very worrying statistic for Unai Emery because the team is still in the race for the FA Cup and a Champions League ticket.
One of Villa's weaknesses was their ability to score in the first half, especially against opponents who played physically and defensively. Even against Preston North End, a lower-ranked team lacking many key players, Villa could not penetrate the opponent's net in the first half. Emery's students ran a lot, coordinated quite smoothly but were stuck in ideas every time they got close to the penalty area. Even though they are pressing their opponents, Villa feel like they will be conceded a goal by Preston at any time.
Against Preston, Emery kept Ollie Watkins on the bench (recently recovered from injury) and arranged Rashford in the highest position in the attack. The 26-year-old star's opening goal came as a very instinctive way. He proactively ran into the middle of the penalty area even though it was not a really favorable coordinate when surrounded by many defensive players.
Lucas Digne's pass was not very favorable but it was enough when Preston's defense lost focus. Therefore, his close-range tap-in did not give the opposing goalkeeper a chance to block. With the second goal from the penalty spot, Rashford showed his coolness, enough to shoot into the opponent's net.
If Rashford cannot score in those two situations, can Emery continue to give the opportunity patiently? The answer may be. If he did not dare to take risks for Rashford to have the opportunity, maybe the Manchester United star was a long time to have the first goal. Watkins may be very good, but if the villa is only this striker alone, once in form, the deadlock will come.
Although this double is very important, it helps Rashford feel more confident in the remaining journey. Remember that he was the next to come at Villa Park and his form cannot be compared to the rest like Morgan Rogers or Marco Asensio. It was not until his 10th match in the new shirt that Rashford scored, but that was the reason why he appeared in Emery's squad.
The match against Preston showed that if he plays as a "number 9", Rashford can still score and play well. This was a problem that Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim could not solve at Man United. Rashford's moves in the box not only give him a chance, but also create space for players right behind like Rogers.
"Today, he took it another step. Rashford played as planned by the coaching staff. Rashford can play as a left winger or a centre forward. In the end, I let him play as a center forward to best develop his qualities. From there, confidence will be greater.
There were still some situations in the first half that were not as expected, but by the second half, everything was completely different. The club still have a lot to improve for Rashford, he also needs more time to adapt to his teammates" - Unai Emery shared.
The performance against Preston showed that Rashford has not lost his acumen. As long as Emery regains the confidence he had after the 2022 World Cup, Aston Villa can confidently achieve every goal from now until the end of the season.
