Lamare Bogarde ‘proves Emery right’ after what happened in Arsenal v Aston Villa
Lamare Bogarde proved exactly why Unai Emery kept him at Aston Villa with his performance against Arsenal on Saturday.
The 21-year-old came on in the first half to replace the injured Amadou Onana at the Emirates on 18 January.
The Dutchman gave a positive account of himself, not looking out of place up against the likes of Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard.
If the versatile youngster can continue to perform at this level, he will only continue to prove Emery right for keeping him at Villa Park.
Lamare Bogarde proves Unai Emery right for Aston Villa v Arsenal
It was certainly a blow to concede a goal and lose Belgium international Onana in one go, especially with the likes of Ross Barkley and John McGinn missing from the squad.
Emery opted to bring Bogarde on in his place, in a change that certainly raised a few eyebrows among the away supporters at Emirates Stadium.
This points towards the Spaniard having plenty of faith in the ex-Bristol Rovers loanee, who repaid that with a top showing against the Gunners.
The 21-year-old came on with just 37 minutes gone and was able to maintain a 100 per cent pass accuracy [FotMob] as he kept the Villans ticking over alongside Boubacar Kamara.
Bogarde also kept his only attempted shot on target, so nearly stroking the ball beyond David Raya.
Defensively the Dutchman was also excellent as he completed two tackles while also chipping in with an additional four defensive actions in North London.
To cap this off, a 100 per cent ground duel success is sure to impress his manager with a clash against Monaco coming up on Tuesday (21 January).
For all the talk of a possible exit in the January transfer window, Bogarde’s place in the side now appears to be his to lose.
In other Aston Villa news, an ex-PGMOL chief has revealed that Arsenal could face a fine after what happened against the Villans.
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