Alex Moreno could replace Lucas Digne permanently at Aston Villa after cameo v Arsenal
As Aston Villa looked to see out their 1-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday 9 December, Unai Emery made sure to utilise all five of his substitutes in an attempt to secure all three points.
While the likes of Leander Dendoncker, Jacob Ramsey and Moussa Diaby entered the field of play with around half an hour to play, Emery’s final substitution saw Alex Moreno replace Lucas Digne at left-back to sure things up at the back.
Only minutes after coming on, the Spanish defender intervened excellently to dispossess Gabriel Jesus as the Brazilian found space behind the Villa backline and that was the first action of an incredible defensive cameo from the 30-year-old.
In his 12 minutes of action, Moreno entered three ground duels, came away with possession twice, entered two tackles, won the ball once and managed to complete two passes with his seven touches of the ball [Fotmob].
He may not have been the hero but he helped Aston Villa hold on to a crucial three points.
Digne, on the other hand, struggled to contain Bukayo Saka for the 78 minutes he was on the field, winning only four of his 11 duels in the match and while he won two tackles in the contest, he also committed four fouls to give the away side plenty of chances from set pieces.
One of those fouls resulted in Digne picking up his fifth yellow card of the Premier League campaign, but that may be an indirect boot for Emery’s side when they travel to Brentford as it will allow Moreno to feature from the start.
Digne has impressed this season, but Moreno offers a different direction in attack and showed through his performance at Villa Park he can contribute defensively. In the Premier League last year, Moreno placed in the top three per cent of fullbacks for progressive carries completed per 90 minutes [Fbref].
The Aston Villa man loves running with the ball at his feet and attempted more take-ons than 95 per cent of his positional peers last term, maintaining possession with more than half of his attempted dribbles.
In his one Europa League start against Legia Warsaw he showed that ability on the ball completing 100 per cent of his attempted ball carries.
Few defenders in the league get the ball into the opposition’s box as regularly as the Spaniard either as throughout the last campaign he placed in the 96th percentile for passes and crosses into the penalty area per game and the 89th percentile for expected assists per 90.
He picked up three assists in 14 Premier League matches last term, but considering the form Ollie Watkins has found himself in this season, the Villa frontline are much more likely to start converting the chances Moreno creates.
Digne has been Villa’s creator-in-chief this season, carving out 28 opportunities for his teammates, but Moreno showed both last season and in his brief cameo against Arsenal that he is a more than able deputy.
Emery would have loved to have the Frenchman available for the clash with Brentford, but this could be an excellent chance for Moreno to win back his place in the Aston Villa straying XI. If he performs well, he could permanently replace Digne as Villa’s first-choice left-back.
In other Aston Villa news, Garth Crooks has been stunned by McGinn’s recent performances suggesting he’s Villa’s new “hero”.