Aston Villa: Troy Deeney ‘screaming’ as Jhon Duran anonymous v Manchester City
Troy Deeney was left frustrated by the performance of Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran despite his goal in the 4-1 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad.
The former Birmingham City striker insisted Duran still looks as if he’s trying to figure out what his game is, and may be struggling with the weight of being compared to Ollie Watkins.
He went on to explain that Watkins would have caused City more problems by running behind while Duran was coming short, and the Colombian struggled to battle the City players.
Speaking live on talkSPORT [4 April, 16:43], Deeney shared: “It’s a tough gig for him because Ollie’s flying, isn’t he? So he’s always going to be compared to Ollie. He’s only young as well so I don’t think he’s figured out what his game is yet.
“I think he knows his attributes, when I was watching yesterday I was screaming at him to run in behind. He just kept coming forward and I felt that if Watkins was playing then he would have caused Man City loads of problems.
“I just feel with him, his finish was lovely, the little one-two, really good, but after that he went missing. At City away you can’t do that.
“His link-up play was okay at times, but when he was up against Akanji or Rodri it was just bouncing off him. But he’s a young man and I think he’s got a bright future.”
Jhon Duran struggles despite goal v Manchester City
Duran was far from the worst player on the pitch – that line should be saved for the likes of Nicolo Zaniolo and Ezri Konsa – but after his goal, he struggled to make an impact.
The striker touched the ball 27 times in the game, perhaps more than could be expected away at the Etihad, but completed just 11 passes out of 14 attempted at a success rate of 79 per cent as he struggled to keep possession. [Sofascore]
On top of that, he lost possession 12 times – more than the number of passes he completed – with a 50 per cent dribble success rate, giving away one free kick and being caught offside much to the frustration of his teammates.
His duel success was equally frustrating. On the ground he won just one of five attempted duels at a success rate of only 20 per cent, while that only slightly improved in the air with two won from five attempts, highlighting Deeney’s point about his struggles.
If Duran wants to step out of Watkins’ shadow and prove he deserves more of a chance at Aston Villa, perhaps even in an attempt to overtake his teammate in the long-term, he will need to step up the consistency of his performances under Unai Emery.
In other Aston Villa news, Zaniolo has been destroyed for his shocking display.
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