Digne sends message to Emery after what he did in Aston Villa win v Southampton
Lucas Digne perfectly responded to his Aston Villa snub with an impressive 32-minute cameo in the 1-0 win against Southampton on Saturday.
The 31-year-old lost his place in the starting lineup to Ian Maatsen at Villa Park [7 December] after starting the 3-1 win against Brentford midweek.
Indeed, Digne’s form has come under question at Aston Villa as he struggled for consistency alongside his teammates throughout the eight-match winless run stretching from October to December.
However, the Frenchman has silenced his critics with an eye-catching cameo at Villa Park.
Lucas Digne must be the starting left-back for Aston Villa
The performance for Aston Villa against Southampton could have been more convincing from the Champions League outfit, but after the recent barren spell of results, three points is all that matters for Emery.
Jhon Duran’s 24th-minute strike was enough to settle the occasion, but the result could have been more resounding, as Southampton failed to threaten all afternoon.
Maatsen failed to deliver in the offensive third of the pitch from the left flank; although he completed 85 per cent of his passes with one key pass, he completed zero per cent of his long balls, zero per cent of his crosses and zero per cent of his dribbles [Sofascore].
However, the attacking output on the left side of the pitch changed completely when Digne was introduced for the Dutchman in the 58th minute, with the full-back laying down a statement of intent at Villa Park.
He completed 85 per cent of his passes with three of those key, albeit he only managed to complete 30 per cent of his long balls.
The attacking dimension on the flanks returned to Aston Villa’s play, and he exerted this influence, having only 29 touches of the ball.
Furthermore, he made two tackles, two clearances, and one interception and won 100 per cent of his duels contested in an all-round performance from the French international.
While Emery will have undoubtedly altered his side to manage the workload, the Spaniard should stick to selecting his best available players after the barren run the Villans have just ended.
Digne rolled back the years at Villa Park on Saturday with only 32 minutes of football – imagine what the left-back could do against RB Leipzig on Tuesday [10 December] if he continues in the same vein.
In other Aston Villa news, here’s how the Villans rated in the win against Southampton.
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