Unai Emery gets his Lucas Digne wish at Aston Villa after what happened in Italy v France
Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne was a standout performer for France in their 3-1 victory against Italy on Sunday.
Digne played a crucial role for Les Bleus as he produced an assist for two of France’s goals, teeing up Adrien Rabiot on both occasions, while his free-kick effort from 25 yards ended up in the back of the net after rebounding off Guglielmo Vicario.
Villa’s summer transfer target Andrea Cambiaso was on the scoresheet for Italy in what proved to be nothing more than a consolation goal on 17 November.
Lucas Digne showcases why he starts for Aston Villa
To put it simply, Digne was the best player on the pitch for France which, when considering some of the talent in the squad, is quite the feat.
According to FotMob, the full-back recorded an impressive 91 per cent pass accuracy from 46 attempted passes, two of which resulted in goals for France.
However, Digne registered an xA (expected assists) of just 0.27, which showcases the level of creativity on display as well as the finishing ability of Rabiot, who netted twice from those opportunities.
His creative presence didn’t stop there, with nine passes made into the Italian in final third, aiding his side in their transition from defence to attack.
Albeit he won’t be credited with the goal due to it crashing off the frame of the goal before rebounding off Vicario and in, Digne’s audacious free-kick effort which resulted in France’s second goal had an xG (expected goals) of just 0.06.
It was quite the all-round display from Digne, who excelled both offensively and defensively with a 100 per cent success rate in tackles. The Frenchman made four tackles in the game, winning six of the eight defensive duels he was involved in.
His performance will do nothing but please Unai Emery ahead of his return to Villa Park at the weekend.
Indeed, upon Digne joining Villa two years ago, Emery said he wants “more in everything” from the defender, effectively saying he wants him to be able to combine defending with attacking.
On the basis of his display for France against Italy at San Siro, Emery may well have got his wish.
In other Aston Villa news, Dan Bardell has described fan discontent as “disrespectful” to Unai Emery.
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