Jota wasted his chance to impress Aston Villa manager Dean Smith during the 3-0 loss against Watford on Saturday.
On the chalkboard
The Spanish winger has not had too many opportunities in the Premier League since joining from Birmingham City, having made just four starts and four substitute appearances – producing an assist against Everton.
Prior to the game at Vicarage Road, the 28-year-old had not started any of the last 14 games in the league, managing just 20 minutes in two appearances off the bench during that time.
Therefore, it will likely have been seen as a big opportunity for Jota when he was named in the starting XI to face Watford, in what could turn out to be a key fixture in the relegation battle.
Invisible on the pitch
Jota was not the only Villa man who didn’t turn up, as they were simply not good enough, but that doesn’t change the fact that he wasted his chance.
Red Herring or Real Hero: Only hardcore Villa fans will get all of them right….
This is best summarised by the fact that he was taken off at half time and replaced by Anwar El Ghazi, having been invisible in the first 45 minutes.
He made pretty much no impact on the game, as can be seen by the statistics below:
The fact that he attempted just nine passes during the half, completing seven, shows how little an involvement he had in the game.
Only 1% of the game’s overall possession was held by Jota, highlighting that he was often on the fringes, especially when it is considered that El Ghazi held 2.5% in the same amount of time.
He did manage to get one shot off, but that was blocked, indicating that even when the 28-year-old did get himself into dangerous positions, he was unable to really create a chance – something that is backed up by the fact he didn’t manage any key passes.
To compound these damning statistics, Jota didn’t manage a single defensive contribution or contest any aerial duels.
He was simply invisible throughout his half on the pitch, wasting his rare opportunity to impress the manager.
In other news, Aston Villa fans have stated who they want to see play more often.
