Youri Tielemans and Matty Cash send clear Aston Villa message after what stars did on international duty
Aston Villa duo Youri Tielemans and Matty Cash caught the eye on international duty.
Villa midfielder Tielemans became captain of Belgium ahead of the break, and certainly repaid that faith in his abilities.
This saw Tielemans fire home a superb volley for Belgium in a 6-0 win as the Red Devils started off the international break in ideal fashion.
Nottingham Forest-linked Cash echoed this on the international stage with Poland, also finding the net as his side secured a draw against the Netherlands on 4 September.
The Villa Park duo, Tielemans and Cash, both impressed away from B6, with their talents proving a point to Unai Emery that could influence how the Villans operate moving forward.
Unai Emery must unlock Youri Tielemans’ game
There is no getting away from the fact that the 28-year-old midfielder has been arguably the claret and blue outfit’s best player in the past 12 months.
This saw Villa exit links for Tielemans to Al Ittihad worry fans, although they were delighted to get past deadline day without losing the ex-Leicester City man.
With that being said, one of his key abilities has been overlooked since making the move to the West Midlands, which has now been showcased on the international stage.
This saw Tielemans find the top corner with a volley from outside the box in sensational fashion, something which has never been seen at Villa Park.
His 100 per cent shot accuracy saw him also net from the penalty spot, but it is certainly his first effort of the night that caught the eye.
| Stat vs Liechtenstein | Youri Tielemans |
| Goals | 2 |
| Passes completed | 84 |
| Dribble success rate (%) | 100 |
| Tackles won | 2 |
| Ground duels won | 4 |
With that in mind, it raises the question as to why Emery doesn’t afford him the opportunity to take aim from outside the box more regularly in B6.
Last season, he only attempted 12 long shots across his 36 Premier League appearances, representing just six per cent of the Villans’ efforts from outside the box.
Emery needs to ensure this statistic is altered by letting him unleash his incredible ability to shoot from range regularly.
- Read more:
Matty Cash needs to be unleashed at Aston Villa
If Tielemans has been shackled by Emery, then Cash has certainly been locked down by the Spaniard.
Last time out against Crystal Palace, it looked as if the right-back had been warned against going forward for the Villans, remaining in the backline for the majority of his 74-minute showing.
This clearly wasn’t the case for Poland on the international stage as Cash found the net with a stunning effort from the edge of the box.
The right-back took three shots on the night and also created a chance before winning five duels in an all-action full-back performance.
If he were afforded the chance to roam forward, there is no reason why he couldn’t become more of a fan favourite at Villa Park after general struggles for acclaim in claret and blue.
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