Aston Villa: Youri Tielemans steps up for Unai Emery as Kevin de Bruyne comparison made
Youri Tielemans has been compared to Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne following his recent step-up in displays for Aston Villa and the 2-0 win against Arsenal.
Tielemans has established himself as a key player in Unai Emery’s midfield despite a slow start to his career at Villa Park and his recent displays have seen him collect plenty of praise.
Once again, as Villa beat Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates, the midfielder was one of the standouts and was unlucky not to have scored after a sublime effort hit the bar and the post.
Belgian journalist Filip Joos went as far as to compare Tielemans with De Bruyne as he insisted he is one of the most important players for the Belgian national team.
Speaking in an interview with Belgian outlet Sporza [17 April], Joos shared: “In principle, he will get even better with more time on the ball. Aston Villa is a well-oiled machine. Coach Unai Emery always lets his team play football, even under intense pressure from the opponent.
“The Red Devils have been a bit down for a while, but his form is taking off. When we talk about our top players such as Lukaku, De Bruyne, Doku and Vertonghen, we must also include Tielemans.”
Youri Tielemans shines for Aston Villa v Arsenal
Alongside his effort that hit the bar, the midfielder’s all-around play and contribution to the game went beyond his normal contribution as Emery’s team played kingmakers at the Emirates.
With one assist coming from his only key pass, his creativity shone again and was further displayed by his 88 per cent pass accuracy, three long balls completed from five attempts and six crosses into the box to cause trouble for the defenders. [Sofascore]
This domination in possession and creativity came as Villa almost equalled Arsenal’s possession, recording 48 per cent of the ball compared to their 33 per cent at the Etihad in the 4-1 defeat as Emery made a clear chance in tactic.
Tielemans thrived in the more possession-based style as he was allowed to get forward more often to create while also doing his defensive work, with a 100 per cent dribble success rate coming alongside two interceptions and four tackles.
If the midfielder can keep up this level of performance for the rest of the season he will surely have sealed himself in Emery’s preferred midfield even when Boubacar Kamara returns from injury, and he may even earn further De Bruyne comparisons.
In other Aston Villa news, Ollie Watkins has hit back at what Troy Deeney said about him.
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