Roberto Martinez makes big Ross Barkley claim after Aston Villa win v RB Leipzig
Roberto Martinez was in awe of Ross Barkley after the Aston Villa midfielder scored the winning goal in the 3-2 win against RB Leipzig, claiming the midfielder has proved he is Champions League quality.
The Villans travelled to Germany on Tuesday [10 December] as goals courtesy of John McGinn and Barkley, either side of a Jhon Duran wonder strike, secured three vital three points on the way to a top-eight finish in the Champions League.
However, Martinez reserved his praise for his former Everton starlet Barkley live on Amazon Prime [10 December, 10:39pm] as he continues to pop up with vital goals for Aston Villa this year.
He said: “Yes, Barkley was helped by the deflection, but if you give Ross Barkley space on the edge of the box then eight or nine times out of 10 he will hit the target.
“I coached him as a young boy and he was always talented but now he is showing his consistency. He is showing he is a Champions League level player.”
Ross Barkley has to be a regular starter for Aston Villa
Barkley was introduced onto the pitch in the 83rd-minute for Youri Tielemans in Leipzig, and two minutes later, he scored the winning goal for Aston Villa.
The former England international scored his goal from one shot on target throughout his 11-minute cameo on the pitch, resulting in a 100 per cent shot conversion rate [Sofascore].
He had 10 touches on the night, won 100 per cent of his duels, made one clearance and completed 63 per cent of his passes, only losing possession three times in a sensational cameo appearance.
Barkley has the ability to impact proceedings with only a handful of minutes on the pitch, yet he continues to be left on the sidelines by Unai Emery.
The Spaniard has only selected the midfielder to start twice this season, but he offers a different dimension to the midfield than his Aston Villa teammates.
As per Fotmob, Barkley ranks inside the top 14 percentile of all Premier League midfielders for xG, the top 17 percentile for goals scored and the top 25 percentile for shots on goal.
Furthermore, he is also in the top 17 percentile for successful dribbles, showing just how dangerous he can be one-on-one with an opponent.
Aston Villa lack a creative spark in central midfield when Barkley is not on the pitch, and while the side would lose the defensive stability of selecting Boubacar Kamara, Tielemans and even Amadou Onana in the double pivot, goals win football matches.
And Barkley has proven time and time again that he knows where the back of the net is.
Emery would therefore be ignorant not to select Barkley to start for the Villans against Nottingham Forest on Saturday [14 December].
In other Aston Villa news, Alan Shearer can’t believe what he saw of John McGinn in Villa’s win against RB Leipzig.
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