View: Calum Chambers stats show he’s capable Tyrone Mings replacement for Aston Villa
Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings faces a race against time to be fit for the Villans’ Premier League fixture against Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.
The 29-year-old missed Villa’s 3-1 defeat against Manchester City and is a doubt for the game against Mikel Arteta’s side (The Express and Star, 17 February).
Calum Chambers has been the man called upon to step in and it was certainly a baptism of fire for the former Arsenal defender against the Premier League champions.
The 28-year-old is in line to feature against his old club at Villa Park and here Villa News takes a look at whether he has what it takes to adequately step in for Mings.
Over the course of the last calendar year, Mings has managed to get 2174 more minutes under his belt compared to the former Arsenal defender, which could well be a concern.
Chambers has been playing in cup games, but being thrown straight in against the Premier League’s best two teams is a pretty tough ask. However, there are a couple of promising signs in regard to Chambers’ performances.
Firstly, as per Wyscout, the 28-year-old has completed more successful defensive actions per 90 minutes (9.8) compared to Mings (7.98).
Furthermore, Chambers also manages more defensive duels at a higher success rate. So it’s clear the initial signs are positive. He also manages nearly double the number of aerial duels, although his success rate is 12 per cent lower than Mings.
Arsenal are the most potent team from set-pieces in the Premier League so losing an aerially dominant defender such as Mings will be a blow, but Chambers is by no means a bad replacement.
From a defensive standpoint, the only concern will be the lack of game time the former Arsenal man has had with Ezri Konsa. Partnerships are absolutely essential and the pair haven’t featured with each other too often.
From a passing perspective, Villa could also be slightly more progressive with Chambers in the team. He averages more passes per 90 minutes [compared to Mings], with a slightly higher accuracy rate, and also looks to pass forward more often.
Against the better teams, being calm on the ball, particularly in defence, is vital. Including the 28-year-old could well see the Villans play out from the back more often, which is what Unai Emery has been pushing for in recent weeks.
It promises to be an extremely tough test again on Saturday, but if Mings isn’t deemed fit enough, Chambers filling in is certainly not the end of the world for the Villa boss.
In other Aston Villa news, the club face competition from Barcelona to secure the signing of a striker at the end of the season.