Aston Villa go into the weekend with a trio of fullback injuries

Aston Villa will travel to Bolton Wanderers without a senior left back after Neil Taylor strained his hamstring in a 3-1 defeat to Queens Park Rangers.

Neil Taylor was a 55th-minute sacrifice on Tuesday after suffering a groin strain sometime in the first-half. Considering the existing hamstring injuries carried by fellow fullbacks Alan Hutton and Axel Tuanzebe, this is the worst possible news Steve Bruce could have received.

The manager took full blame on not freshening up the squad after a dramatic victory over league leaders Wolves just 72 hours prior. The unchanged XI struggled, with multiple players complaining of muscle strains at halftime. Yikes.

Neil Taylor was already the only recognized senior left back at Aston Villa. Hutton, a converted right back, and Tuanzebe, a center back, capable of playing multiple spots, represent the only true other comfortable options.

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This is quite the predicament, but luckily the international break follows after this coming match against Bolton.

So, what are the options?

1. Converting to a back three

This is what Bruce did in the second-half against QPR. It did not work for several reasons. Firstly, neither Mile Jedinak or Christopher Samba are best suited as outside center backs in a 3-5-2. With John Terry anchoring the middle, as he did Tuesday, one is forced to play left center back. Quite frankly, they’re too slow for a system that relies on mobility a bit more. It’s worth noting Villa do not have a left-footed center back either (ahem, Nathan Baker) to make the transition more comfortable. Secondly, there’s a dearth of left wing back options, too. Albert Adomah, Birkir Bjarnason and André Green are all right-footed, and while they can certainly play the position, it remains less than ideal.

2. Simply play someone out of position

I mean Birkir Bjarnason played a game at left back earlier this season. It was not great, but it is an option. Moreover, James Bree could flip over to the left side.

3. Rely on a youth team call-up

19-year old Mitch Clark excelled in his first-team debut at left back this past Autumn. Could he do it again in a crucial league match? The usual U-23 left back, Oscar Borg, is still awaiting his Aston Villa debut too.