It was a difficult evening for Aston Villa at the Emirates on Saturday, but a spirited performance led to a 2-2 draw and a hard-fought point for Unai Emery’s men.
Credit must go to Arsenal for making our lives difficult as they were on the front foot for most of the game, albeit Emery will undoubtedly find areas in which we could have been better in imposing ourselves more effectively and having more control.
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However, the way in which the game played out saw us struggle to retain possession and use it efficiently, and combined with what felt like a lean towards too passive of a display where we sat in our defensive shape without enough intensity while being organised in our structure and looking to counter, it was difficult for us to show our full range of qualities.
One player who did stand out though was Youri Tielemans, as the Villa midfielder was excellent in both phases, as he continues to have a stellar season in the heart of this Emery team.
The 27-year-old’s versatility has been vital for Villa this season, as given his ability to either play in our deeper midfield pivot or as a No.10, he gives Emery flexibility in how we set up for certain games and opposition, and his influence was crucial on Saturday both in and out of possession.
His technical ability and composure with the ball is well known, and the Belgian international spun out of pressure on a few occasions with such elegance that it showed he’s a level above, while he was smart with his distribution to try and get us on the attack quickly before Arsenal could get back into their defensive shape.
Perhaps he doesn’t get enough credit for his efforts off the ball though, as while some may have questioned that aspect of his game in the past, since joining Villa, Tielemans has proven to be a tenacious and tireless presence in our midfield.
He covered significant ground and pressed and hassled Arsenal’s midfield constantly to almost drag us back into the game this weekend, and so again, although we didn’t have the control we desire in games, the Belgian midfielder was critical in giving us a foothold at times and combined that with his natural leadership skills given his experience at the top level.
On top of that, Tielemans bagged our all-important first goal which sparked our fightback, and the desire in his run to break into the box coupled with the quality of his headed finish, just underlined what a top player he is and how important he is for Villa.
It’s hoped that he can maintain this level throughout the rest of the campaign, regardless of what position or role he’s asked to play in, but we needed Tielemans to step up this season following Douglas Luiz’s departure, and he continues to shine and deliver as a fundamental cog in Emery’s set-up.
