Credit: BBC MOTD/Imago

Scott Mason

Mon 4 May 2026 8:40, UK

Ian Maatsen has been on the periphery of Unai Emery‘s Aston Villa squad over the last year, and he was handed another chance to prove himself against Tottenham.

Villa’s rotation against the Lilywhites has been coming under scrutiny, with supporters coming away from the game questioning the decision.

The Spaniard would have been afforded leniency had the players selected looked up to the task of bringing the game to Tottenham.

However, it was the complete opposite. The away side looked more energetic and more determined and, frankly, put in way more effort.

While the squad was rotated, the players on the pitch in Aston Villa’s loss to Tottenham were more than capable of putting on a better display, with Maatsen in particular sticking out in all the wrong ways.

Ian Maatsen was the epitome of what Micah Richards said about Aston Villa

Aston Villa’s preparation for a huge second leg against Nottingham Forest has not gone how they wanted.

The Villans would have been looking to create some momentum heading into that clash even with the heavily rotated side.

There was quality on the pitch for Emery, and the players selected should have done better but simply did not look up for it.

Micah Richards said on Match of the Day: “Some people might criticise, I think the Villa fans — there were a few boos at half-time — in terms of the effort. The players that he put out today were more than capable of performing better than they did today.”

The former Premier League defender is entirely correct in his assessment of Villa’s performance. Emery’s lineup was not lacking quality, as there were plenty of players there that have shown they can come up with the goods.

But what it did lack was effort.

Maatsen is perhaps the biggest example. The Dutch fullback has been in and out of Villa’s starting lineup this season, starting just 15 games throughout the Premier League season.

He is competing with Lucas Digne for the starting left-back role, and he certainly did not give his manager any reason to play him against Nottingham Forest.

Against Tottenham, Maatsen was second-best in everything he did. He won just one ground duel out of 10. He completed zero out of his four dribbles attempted as per Sofascore.

He made zero tackles and was dribbled past on two occasions. Randal Kolo Muani simply had the beating of him throughout his whole appearance.

Overall, if he was eyeing a start on Thursday night, he should no longer be expecting that chance.

Lucas Digne has been hot and cold vs Nottingham Forest

When it comes to Digne, who is likely to start, the Frenchman has been hit or miss in matches against the Tricky Trees.

In the first leg at the City Ground, he was not at his best either, winning only 20 per cent of his ground duels on that day.

However, in the Premier League fixture a few weeks earlier, Digne was one of Villa’s best defenders as points were shared in a 1-1 draw.

Emery will be hoping it is that version of the left-back that shows up, with pressure mounting on Aston Villa to beat Nottingham Forest.