Micah Richards slams ‘slow’ Jhon Duran v Middlesbrough, not good enough for Aston Villa
It may not have been pretty or exciting, but Aston Villa booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday 6 January.
Matty Cash’s deflected second-half effort proved to be the difference between the two sides in a game of very little quality, but Unai Emery’s side had more than enough chances to put the game to bed over the course of the match.
One man who was particularly guilty of wasting those opportunities was Jhon Duran who spurned a number of half chances in the first half, leading to Micah Richards slamming him as one of many Villa players who were “too slow”.
Speaking on BBC One’s coverage of the game (6 January, 56:00) he said: “When they have broken that line, we recall these half chances. Duran does really well gets a yard and has a strike. Look how many bodies are around him.
“They’re just moving it a little bit too slow. It’s married up with Villa moving it too slow and Middlesbrough defending it really well.”
The Colombian forward was picked to lead the line ahead of Ollie Watkins as Emery made a number of changes to his Aston Villa starting XI to face Championship opposition, but he was hooked after 70 minutes of action.
In the first half, Duran had three shots on the home side’s goal, and while he hit the target with all three, he was unable to beat Thomas Glover once as he spurned a number of Villa’s best opportunities in the clash [Fotmob].
His three shots had a combined xG of 0.2, with all three falling on his preferred left foot. The first was rather wasteful as he opted to test the Boro keeper from a tight angle, rather than playing the penalty area to one of his teammates waiting in the box.
Duran only had 16 touches in the match and only two of those came in Middlesbrough’s box. It’s very rare that Aston Villa’s strikers see loads of the ball given Emery’s style of play, so their decision-making must be perfect in the final third.
This wastefulness has been a big part of the Villa forward’s game this season. When compared to other strikers in the Europa Conference League, he has more shots than 75 per cent of his peers but has produced a lower xG per 90 minutes than 65 per cent of them [Fbref].
Despite having three shots himself, Duran didn’t create a single chance for his teammates in the match and only two of his eight completed passes found their way into the final third of the pitch.
This hasn’t just been an issue in the FA Cup and once again similar has been true during Duran’s European campaign. The 20-year-old places in the sixth percentile for expected assists per match and the fifth for passes into the final third.
Watkins’ creativity has been one of his biggest assets this season as the English international has already picked up eight assists in 28 matches this season. Duran cannot replicate that creative spark at the top end of the pitch.
The 20-year-old doesn’t possess the same physical presence that Watkins does at the top end of the pitch either and was bullied by Carrick’s backline. Across his four duels both in the air and on the ground, Duran only won possession once, winning zero per cent of his aerial battles.
Emery cannot rely on the Colombian to step up when Watkins is absent as he doesn’t possess the same calmness and composure as Aston Villa’s top scorer. A loan switch away for the second half of the campaign could be what’s best for all parties.
In other Aston Villa news, Nicolo Zaniolo’s days at Villa could be numbered after news emerged about Leon Bailey’s future