Aston Villa defender Calum Chambers mirrors John Stones midfield role in second-half masterclass v Chelsea
When Calum Chambers was called from the Aston Villa bench by Unai Emery after just 45 minutes of their clash against Chelsea, many fans were left scratching their heads.
The ex-Arsenal player has struggled for consistent game time at Villa Park since sealing his move to the club in January 2022 but showed his class in a near-faultless 45-minute cameo at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening (1 April).
It is thought that Chambers was called upon due to the struggles of the returning Boubacar Kamara, who had been sidelined with an ankle over the last month and looked a yard off the pace from the outset, but it remained a back-wards move for Villa with the score still only at 1-0.
However, Chambers’ role when he came from the bench was a pleasant surprise and mirrored that of Manchester City centre-back John Stones mere hours before at the Etihad Stadium.
The 28-year-old slotted into a central defensive midfield role when on the ball, ticking things over with a simple array of passes while dropping into a back-five when out of possession, helping Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa with the demands of keeping Chelsea at bay.
His role somewhat mirrored Stones, who started as an inverted full-back for Pep Guardiola’s side against Liverpool, stepping into the midfield and creating a back-three when in possession of the ball.
Guardiola hailed the performance of the usual centre-back in his new-found middle of the park after the game, and Villa fans should be encouraged by what they saw from Chambers in a similar role.
Emery’s team struggled to get hold of the ball much in the second half, sitting in a low block and looking to hit Graham Potter’s side on the counter-attack, with Chambers central to this defensive rearguard.
Although playing just 45 minutes, the Englishman recorded a team-high five tackles, as well as two defensive clearances and one further interception. [SofaScore]
These totals were more than his central midfield partner Luiz, who only managed to record one tackle, two interceptions and zero clearances.
Chambers also managed to win 100% of his ground rules (5/5) as the Blues began to pile on the pressure later in the game.
If the centre-back wishes to guarantee a long-term future under Emery at Villa Park, the one area that needs improvement in such a role would be his use of the ball.
However, Chambers’ ability to step into the middle of the park in Kamara’s absence adds yet another string to Emery’s bow in the club’s late charge for European football this season.
He may have saved his Villa career.
In other Aston Villa news, Dan Bardell believes a loanee could consider a Villa Park exit this summer if he isn’t given first-team assurances next season.