Aston Villa have been a top side under the management of Unai Emery. He came to the English Premier League side last season and took them to Europe. The board also backed the manager and handed him a decent transfer budget at the start of the current season. He brought in a few big names to strengthen the team, including Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans. The 26-year-old had suffered relegation with Leicester City and decided to play top-level football.
Tielemans made his name at a young age after being named Anderlecht’s captain in his teenage years. He then earned a move to AS Monaco and came to England in 2019. The Belgian made a slow start to his career at Aston Villa but is giving some noticeable performances. Unai Emery’s men have had a jam-packed season, and he needed good depth in his squad. Tielemans is not a regular in the squad but starts every Cup game. However, he is not the kind of player who deserves to be dropped, and the player has proven this by delivering performances. Here is a look at some stats that show why Tielemans deserves more starts in an Aston Villa shirt.
Creative mindset
Youri Tielemans is a creative player and has a positive mindset on the field while moving the ball. He links the defence with the attack. Youri has featured in 20 matches for Villa this season and started in only seven games. This included 13 English Premier League appearances and that too with only one start.
In the current season, Tielemans averages 55 passes per 90 minutes and has an 87% accuracy rate. These include 7.9 passes to the final third and 2.9 passes to the penalty box per 90 minutes.
The above viz shows how Tielemans targets both ends of the field to find a teammate. His ball distribution is unbelievable and the player also has the ability to find a teammate inside the penalty box. Tielemans has registered two assists to his name, with the recent one coming in a 2-1 win against Spurs.
The Belgian midfielder is very hard-working and is present everywhere on the field. He likes to make bursting runs into the attacking half and draws a lot of fouls. Other than this, Tielemans has a high recovery rate in the final third. These recoveries have allowed Aston Villa to keep their attacking momentum on the field.
Former Leicester City midfielder netted his first goal of the season against AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Conference League. His shot map shows all 15 shots attempted by the midfielder this season. He targets the left of the goalkeeper and has a 46.7% accuracy rate.
Youri Tielemans will be eyeing more starts in the current season and hope to impress his manager. He has the ability to make an impact and this is what Aston Villa want this campaign.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine