Carlos Sanchez Must Step Up for Aston Villa to Replace Fabian Delph

Sometimes in football it seems that the more things change the more they stay the same.

Aston Villa fans, encouraged by the returns of Ron Vlaar and Christian Benteke from injury, received bad news last week when Fabian Delph was ruled out for several months after a training accident left him requiring shoulder surgery.

Having convincingly lost their last four matches without scoring a single goal, losing Delph is a major blow for the struggling Villans. Delph was the team's best overall player last season and had started brightly this year as well.

In addition to his club success, the former Leeds player finally received the England call-up many had clamored for and had impressed on international duty. Unfortunately, his injury setback will prevent him from continuing to establish himself with the national team, as well as deal a major blow to Villa's midfield for the next few months.

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Delph's absence was readily apparent against Everton. Villa created few chances and had very little possession of the ball as a result of being unable to successfully pressure their opponent. Having been thoroughly outplayed in their last few matches, losing Delph's dribbling, tackling and aggressiveness will only pile onto Villa's misery. 

Ashley Westwood and Tom Cleverley have entrenched themselves as regular starters and will be even more relied upon in Delph's absence. Paul Lambert's preference for a midfield trio leaves Kieran Richardson and Carlos Sanchez as the main contenders vying to earn the chance to replace Delph until his return from injury. 

Richardson is the more known quantity, a Premier League veteran who has started all of Villa's matches so far this season. However, despite his constant presence, Richardson's performances have not been particularly impressive. With the exception of a bright display against Hull City, Richardson has been mostly anonymous thus far in a Villa shirt.

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A wide player by nature, Richardson has been used in a number of roles so far this campaign that may be hurting the team's cohesiveness. Richardson's experience and versatility saw him selected to slot in for Delph against Everton, but Richardson had very little impact on the proceedings, as has often been the case. 

The former Red Devil makes useful runs forward, but he seems to be lacking confidence and is not strong defensively. Richardson does not have any glaring weaknesses to his game, but he is not as quick as he once was and his presence has added little to Villa's approach this season.  

Lambert's other option is fellow summer signing Sanchez. While Richardson would likely be expected to play a similar role to Delph, selecting Sanchez would drastically alter Villa's approach.

In contrast to Delph, who is a box-to-box player, Sanchez is a pure holding midfielder and his inclusion would mean a shift away from a flat three in the middle and push Westwood forward into a more advanced position.

Unfortunately, Sanchez's Villa career thus far has been extremely disappointing. A key member of Colombia's impressive World Cup squad, Sanchez signed for Villa in August and was expected to slot right into the first team as an impregnable shield in front of the back four.

Instead, Sanchez has barely featured for Villa and it is understandable why. The Colombian can hardly be blamed for failing to standout during cameos off the bench, but his performance in his only league start for the club was shambolic. Against Arsenal, Sanchez seemed completely unprepared and was a step behind the play for the duration of the match.

Nonetheless, Sanchez' pedigree in La Liga and for Colombia suggests that he can still be a valuable player for Villa. Having now been in Birmingham for two months, Delph's injury will thrust Sanchez into the spotlight and give fans a prolonged opportunity to evaluate Sanchez's abilities. 

According to the Birmingham Mail's Gregg Evans, Lambert has backed Sanchez to begin his Villa career in earnest in the coming weeks, stating that Sanchez is primed to increase his role in the team in the wake of Delph's absence.

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Carlos will come into the reckoning now. He has done really well in training but the form of Ashley Westwood has been really high. Now it’s the time for him to see if he’s really ready for it.

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Villa have long lacked a midfield destroyer to protect the back four and Delph's injury is a good opportunity to shake up Villa's midfield dynamic. Westwood has earned his place in the team, but despite playing a deep role in midfield, Westwood does not have the strength or reading of the game to act as a defensive midfielder like Sanchez can. 

If Sanchez can recapture the form that led Villa to sign him then the blow of Delph's sudden injury will be lessened significantly. Sanchez was expected to become a starter with Delph healthy; if he cannot break into the team in the Englishman's absence then he will likely never become an impact player for Villa.

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There are other options besides Sanchez, but none of them are particularly appealing. Joe Cole has lived up to the fears surrounding his poor fitness and advancing age. Leandro Bacuna has featured in midfield before, but the Dutchman lost all momentum he gained last season and seems relegated to serve as a backup to Alan Hutton.

With Villa's remaining central midfielders out on loan, Sanchez is by far the best option to replace Delph. Unfortunately, the unforgiving nature of the Premier League means that he cannot be afforded much more time to adjust than he has already received.

Starting with Villa's upcoming meeting with QPR, a welcome relief from their run of matches against last season's top five teams, Sanchez must step up to fortify Villa's shattered defence and help Lambert's team cope with the loss of their rising star.