‘Hungry’ Nicolo Zaniolo must get first Aston Villa goal to catch fire
We’re delighted to welcome Aston Villa podcaster Ty Bracey as our exclusive Aston Villa columnist each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the club…
Nicolo Zaniolo must score his first Aston Villa goal in order to catch fire this season, according to Ty Bracey.
The Italian has impressed in his early Villa Park career, with encouraging performances in both the Premier League and Europa Conference League giving fans more than enough to be excited about. Per FBRef, Zaniolo has created 4.86 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes in the league, the third highest in the Villa squad, showing the direct impact he can make on a game.
While he’s no guaranteed starter under Unai Emery, his versatility has seen him operate successfully in a number of positions already this season. According to Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old has played as a centre-forward, left winger, left midfielder and at attacking midfield, meaning Emery can offer him more playing opportunities.
However, he is yet to open his account for his new club and is yet to register any kind of goal contribution in 548 minutes of football in claret and blue. Considering his obvious hunger to score, Bracey claims this is all he needs to catch on fire.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bracey said: “I’ve been massively impressed with Nicolo Zaniolo. He’s great and he’s very hungry to score goals. He came close against Wolves, he had that bicycle kick.
“He’s hungry for his first goal and I’m here for it. Zaniolo definitely warranted Man Of The Match. He’s doing alright at the minute but he just needs to get his first goal, once he does that he’s on fire.”
In other Aston Villa news, a zero-tackle Villa star may face a ruthless Emery axe after what he did against Wolves.