Ian Maatsen sends message to Unai Emery with what he did in Aston Villa loss v Club Brugge
Ian Maatsen made a point to Unai Emery with his performance for Aston Villa despite losing against Club Brugge on Wednesday.
The Villans fell to their first defeat in the Champions League on 6 November as a bizarre Tyrone Mings handball ultimately decided the result.
Hans Vanaken scored the spot kick after the Englishman picked the ball up after Emi Martinez was deemed to have taken a goal kick.
The casual nature of this moment summed the game up for Villa with there being few positives to take from Belgium with Maatsen one player who can take some silver linings from the defeat.
Ian Maatsen made a point to Unai Emery in Aston Villa defeat v Club Brugge
The Netherlands international hasn’t been afforded many starts since completing a move to Villa Park over the summer but has now claimed a regular starting role in Europe in recent weeks.
This has seen Lucas Digne start in the Premier League but the 22-year-old will be hoping to make that role his own in the coming weeks.
Maatsen has potentially done himself a favour with his performance against Club Brugge despite his side falling to a disappointing defeat.
Despite being a left back, the ex-Chelsea man loves to get forward and this saw him clock up two successful dribbles with a 100 per cent success rate while also having four of his 70 touches into the opposition penalty area [FotMob].
Although he only made one pass into the final third, the defender did maintain a 94 per cent pass accuracy across his 47 attempts.
This was a positive return going forward, despite not contributing with a goal or an assist as Villa failed to score.
Maatsen did also help out at the back successfully which saw him register one successful tackle, five clearances, one interception and five recoveries. This won’t be lost on Emery who may have been worried about his defensive credentials previously.
The Dutchman also maintained a 71 per cent win rate, succeeding five of his seven attempts throughout the clash in Belgium.
With a trip to Liverpool on the horizon, the left back may be hoping to keep his place and lock Digne out the starting XI in the coming weeks and months.
In other Aston Villa news, the performance against Club Brugge has been labelled as an “absolute disgrace” as a pundit exploded after what he saw.
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone