As his search for a goal involvement goes on, it’s crucial that Aston Villa loanee Nicolo Zaniolo doesn’t allow it to impact his confidence and game.
The 24-year-old arrived on a season-long loan deal from Galatasaray this past summer, but in 12 appearances for Villa, the Italian international has yet to register his first goal or assist for the club.
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Over the past fortnight he has also had to contend with off-the-pitch matters amid an ongoing investigation into alleged betting activity, and while the hope is that he will be cleared of any wrongdoing soon, he’s still searching for his best form on the pitch.
Given his role in the side as an attacking player with the responsibility to create and contribute goals for the team, it puts him under a spotlight in that he isn’t having the desired impact in the final third.
That more critical view is fair to an extent as Zaniolo himself will no doubt be frustrated and disappointed that he hasn’t had a bigger impact thus far, but it shouldn’t diminish the role he’s playing in our impressive run of form too much.
Above all else, the fact that Unai Emery continues to start him says a lot in itself about the contribution to the team that Zaniolo is providing, as he clearly ticks the right boxes for the Villa boss from a tactical perspective to warrant being a consistent presence in the Villa XI.
As he went close yet again this past weekend to breaking his duck against Luton, it’s pivotal that Zaniolo doesn’t let the frustration boil over. He is guilty of trying too much at times and that leads to the surrendering of possession too easily and in key areas of the pitch, and so he has to guard against that creeping into his performances more prominently.
However, his movement, positioning and link-up play is crucial to how we play, especially in trying to break teams down who are playing deeper and are content to sit back, as that ability to break the lines and get the ball into threatening areas makes all the difference.
Zaniolo may not yet be a decisive presence for us in the final third, but he’s a functional piece in the bigger picture. His technical ability, physicality and fit for our team is still important even as his barren run goes on, and it’s hoped that once he has that big moment in front of goal, it will spark him into a better run of form that shows he can be decisive too.
With Jacob Ramsey still sidelined due to injury and Emiliano Buendia sadly out of the picture for most, if not all, of this season, Zaniolo will get more opportunities. It’s hoped that he makes the most of them in the coming weeks and months to step up and be another key player who is making valuable contributions for the team to sustain our impressive start to the campaign.
