Matty Cash analyzes Aston Villa first half against PSG with sister | OneFootball

One of the biggest what-ifs from Aston Villa's match against PSG is Matty Cash coming off at the half. The right back picked up an early yellow card, and Unai Emery felt the need to make the change. It's unknown what Unai Emery would do at any point, but most agree that the caution is what led the manager to replace him with Axel Disasi.

It's hard to argue with the referee's decision to book Cash in that moment. He had accumulated a couple of fouls that should have been called. In an effort to stop Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in particular, he played close to him and had to take a couple in order to prevent something disastrous from happening early on.

That being said, some officials would have given Cash a final warning in that moment, even pointing to the number of spots where previous infractions had occurred. The lack of further patience in that moment from the head ref in charge ended up proving consequential for the rest of the match.

It's known what Cash can provide on the pitch. And for this game in particular, his aggression and quality were missed in the second half. Moments into the second half, Kvaratskhelia turned Disasi, and PSG held onto and then further expanded the lead. Considering how often the hosts had the ball in the final third in front of Emiliano Martínez, it's unknown if the breakthrough happens in a similar fashion with Cash at RB or not. It still leaves a question of what may have been possible had the Polish international managed to stay out of the books beyond the opening 17 minutes.

Brother and sister reflect on Aston Villa CL performance

An interesting post-game aspect was that of him then being interviewed by his sister, Hannah Cash. On the CBS Paramount+ Champions League broadcast, she asked her brother about being substituted. Naturally, he expressed being disappointed in not being able to see out the match but understood the reasoning behind Emery's decision.

The reporter of the family, Hannah Cash, asked an intriguing question about potentially taking away any positives. Matty Cash, the Villa player of the family, reiterated Emery's message of their CL hopes being far from over. He noted how Villa Park will provide an excellent environment and how the team feels confident in making it a contest in front of their home fans again during the second leg.