Tyrone Mings a perfect reflection of the Aston Villa resurgence under Unai Emery
In-form Aston Villa maintained their stunning push for European football next season with a comfortable victory over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on Saturday [8 April].
Villa have now won 11 of 17 games since Unai Emery took charge [WhoScored], with their victory over relegation-threatened Forest their fourth in succession which sees the Villans currently occupy sixth place in the table and well on course for a European spot.
Goals from Bertrand Traore and Ollie Watkins meant Villa made it seven games unbeaten in the English top-flight, but Villa’s rise in recent weeks arguably will not have been achieved if not for the sensational resurgence of Tyrone Mings at the heart of Emery’s defence.
After being stripped of the Villa captaincy at the beginning of the season by Steven Gerrard and missing out on the Qatar World Cup, not many would have blamed Mings for falling further into defensive decline and dropping his standards.
However, under new manager Unai Emery, the centre-back has completely transformed his game and if he continues his sensational upward trajectory, he could well find himself back in Gareth Southgate’s England plans this summer.
Mings has excelled tremendously under the Spaniard going from strength to strength and helping the club keep an impressive seven clean sheets since the World Cup.
The 30-year-old once again exemplified his transformation with another solid and assured performance against a Forest side fighting for their lives, winning two of his three duels and registering six clearances [SofaScore].
The 30-year-old took 95 touches during the match, suggesting he was comfortable on the ball and regularly looked to start attacks from the heart of the defence within Emery’s progressive style, while achieving a superb Sofascore rating of 7.3/10, ranking him as the second-highest outfield player behind in-form striker Ollie Watkins.
The English titan was rock solid at the back again, making two interceptions, one clearance and winning six out of his seven duels, failing to let Forest gain any sort of foothold in the game and nullifying their attacking options.
He was also successful with six of his nine long ball attempts and completed an impressive 88% of his total passes, and there is now a cause to argue that Emery surely has one of the finest English centre-backs in the Premier League at his disposal right now.
Indeed, Mings ranks amongst the best the top-10 best centre-backs in the Premier League for interceptions [41], and clearances [116] as per FBref and ranks best at Aston Villa for the same metrics, highlighting his excellent defensive attributes and leadership in the Villa back-line.
His performance was integral to yet another win for Villa and while Watkins may take all the plaudits for his hot streak in front of goal in recent weeks, Mings should be credited for a similar impact in Emery’s defence. He is the perfect reflection and embodiment of the club’s stunning transformation under the Spaniard’s leadership.
In other Aston Villa news, the club has been told to seal the re-signing of an expensive player amid transfer news.