Libor Kozak has finally worked his way back into favour at Aston Villa after starting appearances against Crystal Palace and against Leicester City, but the Czech striker needs to continue improving if Remi Garde’s side are to avoid the drop.
Although the last two matches have not been perfect performances from the 26-year-old, it was a massive improvement on the man he replaced, Rudy Gestede. Kozak’s movement off the ball, despite straying offside a touch too often, showed great initiative and a desire to contribute wholeheartedly to his team, who have started to turn the corner after a horror run at the end of 2015.
Kozak has been unfortunate not to receive much of a chance earlier on in the season, first struggling to find minutes under Tim Sherwood and now having to force his way into the team over a number of weeks under new manager Remi Garde.
However, with relegation becoming a very real possibility at Villa Park, only the players that continue to perform will remain in the starting side, there is not enough time to allow players to work out of a bad run of form. The 26-year-old needs to kick on now and put it a good performance against West Bromwich Albion, especially after Rudy Gestede found the back of the net on Tuesday, against Wycombe in the FA Cup.
A goal for Kozak helps establish himself as a member of Garde’s starting XI and do his best to help Villa do the impossible and stay up in the Premier League. The Villans are ten points off 18th and desperately need a goalscorer to give them a chance of staying in England’s top-flight.
The next few matches are crucial for Remi Garde’s side, with winnable matches against West Brom and Norwich either side of a tough trip down to West Ham. Following the Norwich fixture, the Villans play Liverpool, Stoke, Everton, Manchester City and Tottenham, so failure to get points in the coming weeks could spell the end of their stay in the top flight.
However, if Kozak can step up and be the goalscorer that Villa need, then maybe they can put up a proper fight and who knows? Football is a funny old game.
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