Why Aston Villa could be without Zion Suzuki for a huge run of games

Zion Suzuki has already shown enough in the opening weeks of his Aston Villa career to suggest he is going to be a hugely important player for Unai Emery, but there is a problem coming down the line which Villa will already be well aware of, because the likelihood is that they are going to have to navigate a significant chunk of January without their new number one.

The AFC Asian Cup takes place in Saudi Arabia between January 7 and February 5, with Japan beginning their tournament against Indonesia on January 11 before facing Thailand and Qatar in Group F. Suzuki has established himself as Japan’s first-choice goalkeeper and, barring injury or a dramatic change between now and then, it would be a major surprise if he was not involved.

That creates an interesting situation for Villa because this isn't an international tournament taking place during a quiet part of the domestic calendar. January is packed, particularly because Villa are back in the Champions League, and if Japan go deep into the competition — as you would expect them to have ambitions of doing — Suzuki could potentially be away for some enormous matches.

Villa host Manchester United in the Premier League on January 16 before Borussia Dortmund visit Villa Park in the Champions League three days later. There is then a trip to Fulham, the final Champions League league-phase fixture away at Slavia Prague and another Premier League game against Ipswich before the end of the month. Depending on exactly when Japan require Suzuki to report and how far they progress, his absence could stretch either side of those fixtures.

It is worth stressing that none of this has suddenly appeared from nowhere. Villa knew when they signed Suzuki that the Asian Cup was coming, just as they knew they were buying a goalkeeper who was already established internationally with Japan. The question is therefore less about whether Villa have been caught out and more about what their plan has always been for this period.

Marco Bizot is the obvious answer as things stand and, ultimately, this is exactly why you have an experienced second goalkeeper in the squad. What does make it slightly more uncomfortable is the calibre and frequency of the games Villa could be asking him to play. Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund at Villa Park within three days of each other is very different from asking your number two to cover an isolated league or cup fixture, particularly when it could become six, seven or potentially eight games without Suzuki rather than just one or two.

Oliwier Zych will inevitably be mentioned as another possible solution because of how well his loan at Vitória Guimarães has started. The 22-year-old has played every minute of their opening seven league matches, having also gained valuable senior experience with Raków Częstochowa last season. But I actually think that makes recalling him less likely rather than more likely. Villa have got Zych playing regularly at a good level and developing in exactly the way they would have wanted when they sanctioned a season-long loan in the summer. Bringing him back halfway through that to potentially sit behind Bizot for a few weeks would interrupt a really valuable season for him.

There would also be a Champions League complication. Zych isn't on Villa's current Champions League squad list, whereas Suzuki, Bizot and James Wright are the three senior goalkeepers registered on List A, with Villa's younger eligible goalkeepers included on List B. Even if Villa could recall Zych, therefore, he isn't a solution for those Dortmund and Slavia Prague matches under the squad as currently registered. With the league phase not finishing until the end of January, Villa cannot simply bring him back and use him in those games.

For me, the more interesting question is whether Villa do anything in the January market specifically because of Suzuki's absence. Could they find an experienced goalkeeper available on a short-term loan who would be happy to come in as additional cover for Bizot? It wouldn't necessarily need to be somebody coming in to become Villa's new number two permanently, particularly when Suzuki is clearly the long-term number one, but there might be some logic in adding another experienced option rather than leaving themselves one injury away from a very inexperienced goalkeeper during a potentially enormous run of fixtures.

The other possibility would be considerably more aggressive: loaning somebody with the intention of actually playing them while Suzuki is away. I would be surprised if Villa went down that route. Bizot is 35, has played at a high level for a long time and was retained as Suzuki's deputy for a reason. Going into the market and effectively bringing in a temporary goalkeeper to jump ahead of him for a month would raise the fairly obvious question of why he remains at the club in the first place.

An experienced loan who provides security behind Bizot feels much more plausible if Villa decide they need another body, particularly because there is always the possibility that an opportunity presents itself in January that wasn't available in the summer. Bizot's contract also expires at the end of this season, so Villa will have another goalkeeper decision to make sooner rather than later regardless.

The interesting thing for me is how quickly Suzuki has made this a conversation worth having. When Emi Martínez left, replacing him always looked like one of the most difficult jobs Villa would face because they weren't simply losing a goalkeeper, they were losing someone who had become such a huge personality and presence within the team. Suzuki was never going to replace that overnight, but what he has already started to do is establish his own role within Emery's side.

His ability with the ball and willingness to play high up the pitch gives Villa something slightly different, and the more established he becomes between now and Christmas, the more noticeable his absence is likely to be.

There is plenty of football to play before Villa need to worry about it, but this is one of those squad-management issues that can be seen coming months in advance. My suspicion is that Zych will be left exactly where he is because playing every week in Portugal is far more beneficial to his long-term development than coming back for a month, while Villa will trust Bizot to step in for Suzuki. Whether they decide they need another experienced goalkeeper behind him could be one of those relatively small January decisions that suddenly looks a lot more important when you look at the fixtures Villa have to negotiate without their number one.