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Offering Some Appreciation for the Underrated and Understated “Elmo”

By Dean Caffrey

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 26: Ahmed Elmohamady of Aston Villa crosses the ball during the Sky Bet Championship Play Off Final between Aston Villa and Fulham at Wembley Stadium on May 26, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 26: Ahmed Elmohamady of Aston Villa crosses the ball during the Sky Bet Championship Play Off Final between Aston Villa and Fulham at Wembley Stadium on May 26, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /
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Ahmed Elmohamady goes into his and Aston Villa’s 2nd consecutive playoff final on the back of another strong personal season at right back, and he’ll be determined to be a Premier League player next August.

He’s very much a player who gets the job done with the minimum of fuss, with no thrills or spills, but he’s also a player who very rarely drops below a 6/7 out of 10. He did have a spell just before Christmas where he made a couple of errors leading to goals against Leeds and Stoke, but his Aston Villa team mates were also off form at this point. However, Elmo has since improved his performances and so have his team mates.

Alan Hutton’s injury in February allowed him to regain his right back spot for a sustained period after previously being rotated with Hutton for the majority of the season. He has also spent time on the right wing in the early part of the campaign and in Dean Smith’s first couple of games. This has all contributed to Elmo recording 2 goals and 7 assists in 32 league starts, with 45 key passes added to the mix which demonstrates his ability to find his team mates in advanced areas of the pitch. Last season he played 36 games while achieving 5 assists so his numbers have increased, at least in terms of goals and assists.

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Crucially, of these 7 assists, 4 have arrived since Smith’s appointment in October. This illustrates Elmo’s effectiveness in the head coach’s system of pushing the 2 full backs forward at every opportunity to supply chances for the forward players. His defensive contribution shouldn’t be overlooked either, as he was an ever present in Villa’s 10 game winning run, during which the team managed 5 clean sheets.

He’s never been the most spectacular of players, but he really does the simple things very well. This causes him to go under the radar slightly, compared to players like Mings, Grealish and McGinn. I’d make a case for Elmo being Villa’s most successful signing since dropping into the Championship, due to his consistency and  the fact he’s hardly ever been injured. (Which is why I think James Chester misses out on this accolade) He’s also been a key cog in a Villa side who have now reached 2 finals in a row.

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