A key point that Unai Emery has stressed since arriving at Aston Villa, is that the squad must be ready to step in and step up when needed, and Leander Dendoncker did exactly that on Saturday.
The 28-year-old’s last Premier League start under Emery came in the Spaniard’s first game in charge last November, and since then he has been limited to just nine appearances and 85 minutes of football in total.
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While he’s been hampered by injury problems and competition for places has seen him fall down the pecking order, it can’t have been easy for the Belgian international to come in and do a job over 90 minutes after such a lack of playing time and match fitness.
However, he produced an excellent showing as he helped us dominate in midfield and control proceedings from start to finish. Albeit it was solid not spectacular, it was the perfect job from Dendoncker which in turn allowed Douglas Luiz to dictate the tempo and tone next to him, while giving John McGinn the freedom to get forward in his role on the right side of midfield.
Unsurprisingly, Emery was left delighted with his midfielder after the game, as he praised his impact.
“He’s had a lot of problems before and hasn’t played a lot and today was his opportunity,” Emery said in his post-match press conference, as per BirminghamLive. “He is a good example to other players because you have to be ready to play and to add qualities. Dendoncker was really fantastic.”
Dendoncker finished the game with 53 touches, 97% passing completion rate, seven of nine duels won, six tackles, two interceptions and one clearance in a solid shift for the team.
While many would have perhaps expected Bertrand Traore to come in and replace the injured Leon Bailey given his goalscoring heroics in our previous games, it was Dendoncker who got the nod and he certainly didn’t disappoint.
Time will tell if he now keeps his place against Brentford, as ultimately we’ll wait to see if Boubacar Kamara is ready to return or if Bailey comes back into the side given Emery’s preference for playing him when available, but off the back of this performance, there is undoubtedly an argument to keep that same balance in the Villa midfield and stick with it.
Question marks were raised about the squad following the conclusion of the January transfer window, specifically whether or not we had enough depth to cope with injuries and continue to be competitive.
Emery was calm and content with the players at his disposal until the end of the season, and we’re seeing why as he continues to oversee and inspire improvement and influence from individuals right across the squad, whether they are pillars of the Villa XI or those coming in to deputise.
As far as Dendoncker is concerned though, he deserves the praise given to him by the Villa boss, and admittedly there were doubts over whether or not he was an ‘Emery player’ in terms of fitting into the style and tactical demands of the Spanish tactician, but he proved on Saturday that he is capable of adapting and delivering when needed.
