After his big-money move last summer, it’s arguably fair to say that most of us would have expected Ian Maatsen to feature more heavily for Aston Villa so far this season.
The 22-year-old arrived in a deal worth £35m, as per BBC Sport, and off the back of an impressive stint at Borussia Dortmund, it looked as though we’d found our long-term answer at left-back.
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Credit to Lucas Digne though, as the Frenchman had other ideas, and his reliable, steady performances in that position have frustrated Maatsen by limiting him to a bit-part role off the bench.
The Dutch international has made 22 appearances so far this season, only six of which have been as a starter, while he’s only featured for 704 minutes in total.
That’s surely not what he signed up for, but ultimately he’s had to earn his spot in the Villa starting line-up, and registering his first assist of the season will certainly help change his situation.
Importantly, Unai Emery provided some insight into his mentality after our win over Leicester City this weekend, a game in which Maatsen set up Leon Bailey for our winner, and it sounds as though he has the right attitude and determination to continue to push for a more prominent role.
“He is always very positive and ready to play,” Emery told reporters in his post-match press conference. “He knows the confidence we have in him. When we needed something more in the attacking third, his capacity to make us faster, he always does it. His impact was fantastic and helped us score a goal because he was wishing for it.”
Not to downplay Digne’s contribution as he has ultimately fended off both Alex Moreno and Maatsen over the past 18 months and that indicates just how highly Emery rates him, but our Dutch full-back brings a different level of energy, intensity and attacking dynamic down our left flank, and he is capable of being more suitable to the role in the system and style we play.
Particularly in the game against Leicester on Saturday, where the visitors packed the middle of the pitch and defended with discipline and organisation to frustrate us, we need that penetration and drive in wide areas to not only stretch the pitch, but to drag the opposition’s players out of their shape and structure and create space for others.
Above all though, Maatsen’s pressing and pressure to force the mistake before linking up with Jacob Ramsey to provide the assist for Bailey to score our winner only reemphasised what he can offer us, and hopefully he gets a run of games to really settle, adapt and showcase his full potential.
Digne will have something to say about that and he’ll continue to fight to keep his place, but this weekend saw a glimpse of what Maatsen can produce and in which games he can be the more effective option, and so with our FA Cup clash with West Ham Utd at home next up on Friday, it’s hoped that he gets the opportunity to back this contribution up with a starting role.
⚽️ Bailey
🅰️ MaatsenThe winner in front of the Holte End 🙌 pic.twitter.com/qSd69rNyTi
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 4, 2025
