Aston Villa defeated Arsenal to continue their amazing comeback, but following a Douglas Luiz play, Unai Emery might not be able to disguise his frustration.
After John McGinn’s first-half goal put Villa Park ahead of Mikel Arteta’s Gunners on Saturday, December 9, the team moved to within two points of the top spot in the Premier League.
Villa held on to support their emphatic triumph against champions Manchester City on Wednesday, recording a club-record 15th consecutive home league victory in spite of Arsenal’s siege.
Aston Villa has amassed more points after 16 games in a top-flight season only once, in 1980–81, according to BBC Sport, and there is a genuine conviction that they can finish in the top four.
It is a clear indication of the incredible development the team is making under the Spaniard, and if their current incredible play keeps up, the Villans are now undoubtedly an outsider to win the Premier League.
But with midfield guru Luiz now out of next weekend’s vital match in West London, Emery might not be able to hide his frustration ahead of their next league match against Brentford, as reported by Injury Expert Ben Dinnery (11 December).
Due to Luiz’s importance, the Brazilian midfielder may suffer severe consequences from missing Sunday’s match against Thomas Frank’s Bees after receiving his fifth booking of the season against Arsenal.
Luiz may now start for the Villans on Thursday, December 14, in their Europa Conference League matchup against Zrinjski Mostar; but, he will be greatly missed the next weekend.
With six goals and four assists in 23 appearances [Transfermarkt], Luiz—who is likely a draw for any of the so-called “top six”—has been in incredible form this season, propelling his team to third place in the Premier League standings as of this writing and one step closer to the Europa Conference League knockout stages.
The Villans are impressively only two points behind league leaders Liverpool, even though the Brazilian has started all 16 of their Premier League games this season.
In addition, it is evident that he wants to play a bigger role offensively this season as he has increased his shot total from 0.9 shots per game to 1.5 this year, and his goal conversion percentage has increased from 18% to 25% [SofaScore].
With 75.8 touches per game as he attempts to get on the ball and create opportunities, the former Manchester City star has the highest average rating of any Villa player through the first couple months of the season at 7.52.
He has completed 1.2 crucial passes, produced three excellent opportunities, and has an 89 percent pass success rate. He also doesn’t give too much away in potentially harmful locations, as evidenced by his remarkable 93 percent total from balls played in his own half.
Even though he plays deep in midfield for Emery, he still makes a significant contribution to the attack, ranking in the 81st percentile for shot creation and the 90th percentile for goal-creating actions [FBRef], which distinguishes him as one of the most complete all-around players in his position.
Luiz was once again quite effective against Arsenal on Saturday, winning four ground duels, making 100% of his long balls, recording one crucial pass, winning three tackles, and making three clearances. [SofaScore].
Luiz’s absence will be painfully felt in midfield as Villa will now be without his huge influence against Brentford, a difficult and determined opponent who seldom gives anything away on home soil. The Villans have won just three of their eight away games this season.
Even Emery, who has become an expert at covering up minor flaws in his team to record improbable wins, would not be able to contain his fear of a major midfield fracture occurring at the Gtech Community Stadium.
