Aston Villa: Unai Emery got Lucas Digne call wrong in loss vs Man United – here’s why
Aston Villa’s Champions League qualification hopes took another significant dent on Sunday.
It’s now three-straight Premier League defeats for Aston Villa, as Unai Emery‘s side fell to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Man United on Sunday.
Villa had a point in their back pockets with 20 minutes to play at Old Trafford, after Ross Barkley’s equaliser following Casemiro’s opening goal of the game, but Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko earned United all three points.
Indeed, the Villans only have Tottenham to thank for keeping them in the top four, as their late equaliser at Anfield prevented Liverpool from overtaking them on Sunday.
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Why Unai Emery got Lucas Digne call wrong vs Man United
Emery made three changes for the trip to Old Trafford, with John McGinn, Ross Barkley and Tyrone Mings all coming into the starting XI, whilst Jadon Sancho, Douglas Luiz and Pau Torres dropped out respectively.
However, one of the big decisions he made was to keep Lucas Digne at left-back, as the 32-year-old had started against Lille in the Europa League last time out.
The Frenchman played well that night back in his homeland, but against United, the veteran defender endured a torrid afternoon, and ensured Emery didn’t cover himself in glory with his selection in the team.
As detailed in the above graphic from Sofascore, Digne gave the ball away 14 times, won just one of his six total duels and failed with his lone dribble attempt in the game.
He also registered zero shots on goal, was accurate with two of his six cross attempts, won just one tackle and made only seven total defensive contributions before being withdrawn after 82 minutes.
Both Amad Diallo and Diogo Dalot made Digne’s afternoon a long one down that side, in a performance that surely revealed to Emery that he must now put his faith in Ian Maatsen moving forward.
Ian Maatsen is Emery’s best option at left-back
Maatsen’s last start came in Villa’s 4-1 loss to Chelsea on 4 March, with late cameos as a substitute against Lille and Man United since then respectively.
However, following on from Digne’s performance on Sunday, the 24-year-old now simply has to return to the lineup moving forward, as he is Emery’s best option on the left flank of defence.
At 32, Digne is not the long-term answer at Villa Park, and with showings such as his one at Old Trafford suggest, he’s probably now at the stage of his career where a backup/rotational role is where his value lies.
Maatsen, on the other hand, is still only 24 and a developing player, who has shown plenty of signs during his time at Villa Park that he can be Villa’s left-back of the future if given sufficient support and opportunities.
So, with Villa’s next game being the second leg of their Europa League Round-of-16 tie with Lille on Thursday night, Emery should promote Maatsen back to the starting XI, and keep him there for the remainder of the season.
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