Moussa Diaby backed for Aston Villa success after ‘ludicrous’ turn of events
Ty Bracey believes Moussa Diaby needs time to excel at Aston Villa and has suggested tiredness will have affected his recent form.
The Frenchman was signed in the summer transfer window by Unai Emery and proved to be an instant hit with early goals against Newcastle and Burnley.
He has struggled at times to come up to speed with the Premier League which has left fans frustrated across the campaign.
Bracey believes he has played too many games this season which has negatively affected his form but he will succeed in time.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bracey said: “I just think it’s a time thing. He is the only player who has been involved in every Premier League matchday squad. He’s missed one Conference League group game this season.
“He’s been in 52 matchday squads which is a ludicrous number. That’s a lot of games. Emery has a no-excuse culture but I don’t think he’s had a terrible season.
“I think he can get to the level of Leon Bailey but it just takes time and confidence. He should definitely stick around for more than a season.”
How has Moussa Diaby performed for Aston Villa this season?
On the face of it, Diaby has had a positive goal output in his first season at Villa Park with six goals and seven assists across 36 games [FotMob].
The Villans signed the Frenchman from Bayer Leverkusen in a club record £51.9m move during the summer transfer window [BBC].
Given the state that the transfer market is in right now, this has still proved to be a good piece of business by Monchi and Emery.
Diaby reformed a positive pattern with Bailey while creating a successful partnership with Ollie Watkins which has been devastating at times.
He has slotted into Emery’s setup well with 435 passes with an 82.5 per cent accuracy across the season so far.
His dribble success is one thing that frustrates fans as he clearly is blessed with great speed and the ability to take on his man. Despite this, he has only registered a 43.9 per cent dribble success.
Diaby is also timid when it comes to making a challenge at times. This has seen him win just 33.3 per cent of ground duels and 12.5 per cent of aerials.
His goal output has been great but he must come up to the speed of the Premier League with some physicality and a positive defensive mindset.
In other Aston Villa news, Unai Emery shares an Emi Martinez injury update ahead of Aston Villa v Olympiacos.
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