As far as starts to a new season go, Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans is having himself a month as he continues to flourish in his new role for Unai Emery.
The 27-year-old is now tasked with playing in a deeper midfield pivot alongside his compatriot Amadou Onana, and not only is it bringing a winning balance to the Villa starting line-up, but it’s bringing out the best in the Belgian international.
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Aside from his goal and two assists already this season in just five outings, Tielemans has firmly established himself as the orchestrator in this Villa team with his ability to dictate tempo and control possession in deeper midfield areas.
Interestingly, while a number of the Villa players struggled in the early stages of our 3-0 win over Young Boys on Tuesday due to the synthetic pitch, as many looked hesitant and unsure with their first touch, it was pretty much business as usual for Tielemans who continued to pull the strings for us.
While he combines that with tenacity and the ability to defend diligently out of possession while breaking play up when necessary with a smart foul, he has the physicality and athleticism of Onana by his side to help him get a foothold and impose ourselves on the opposition, and it’s truly a joy to watch so far.
It will be fascinating to see the impact that Boubacar Kamara makes when he returns from injury and how that impacts our current midfield partnership, but Tielemans will continue to be asked to play the same way, and while they’re different profile of players, he’s certainly filling the void left behind by Douglas Luiz thus far and arguably taking us to the next level in terms of our standard of play on a consistent basis.
Time will be the judge of that though as it’s still early to suggest that we’ve solved the problem and it will be long lasting, but such has been the impressive nature and high level that Tielemans has been operating at so far this season, it’s easy to see how this could be another masterclass and stroke of genius from Emery and the management team as they continue to strengthen and assemble this squad.
Further, we’ve seen it with so many players in the current squad as to how they improve and develop over time while working with the Basque coach, and some do take longer to adapt and showcase their class.
Tielemans gradually established himself as a pivotal player for us last season even when asked to play in different midfield roles, and having signed him on a free transfer, Emery has added another superb player to the ranks who has become a fundamental piece in his puzzle.
It was fitting then that it was Tielemans who broke the deadlock and got our Champions League campaign up and running, as he produced a wonderful touch and finish to put us ahead in Bern.
With the addition of Ross Barkley this past summer, we have an alternative option to play that role within the squad, and that will be important in allowing us to rest Tielemans over the course of the season and ensure he has the fitness and energy needed to maintain this high standard that he’s setting.
In turn, the evolution of the Villa midfield under Emery has been a fascinating watch over the past two years, and the Spanish tactician may well have landed on his most effective and efficient solution yet with the quality depth around it to give him the tools he needs to not only implement his preferred style of play, but to establish a winning brand of football in the long run.
