Why Matteo Ruggeri and Ian Maatsen's rivalry has grown after Aston Villa vs Coventry

Unai Emery has a real selection headache at Aston Villa's left-back position brewing.

After the departure of Lucas Digne this summer, a void was left in this department at Villa Park.

So far this term, Emery has largely sided with Ian Maatsen as his number one left-back, with the Dutchman starting all four Premier League games.

However, Matteo Ruggeri wasn't brought to the West Midlands to sit on the bench either.

The 24-year-old Italian has been shining in Serie A and La Liga over recent years, and looks to have a very bright future ahead of him.

Against Coventry in the Carabao Cup, Emery finally unleashed Ruggeri for his full Villains debut, and it was one to remember.

Where did Matteo Ruggeri lead all players in Coventry vs Aston Villa?

Wednesday night saw Villa run out comfortable 3-1 winners over Midlands rivals Coventry in the end.

The Sky Blues gave Emery's side a scare in the first half though after Victor Torp's 27th-minute free-kick brought the scores level.

In the end, it was Tammy Abraham who stole the headlines, with his brace along with Ross Barkley's goal ensuring Villa progressed to the fourth round.

But in amongst a sea of quality performances, it's crucial that Ruggeri's debut display doesn't get lost.

As per FotMob, no player on the pitch made more recoveries than his 11 at the CBS Arena.

Meanwhile, he also completed 91 per cent of his passes accurately, created one chance, attempted five crosses and played four passes into the final third.

It was the type of performance that will prove hard for Emery to ignore, but has Maatsen done enough to hold Ruggeri back moving forward?

Do Maatsen's numbers safeguard his spot after injury return?

After coming off injured against Nottingham Forest, MRI scans have since revealed that Maatsen has endured significant damage to his right ankle.

He now faces six to eight weeks on the sidelines, opening up a huge opportunity for Ruggeri to cement himself as the starting left-back.

Maatsen's underlying numbers this season won't do much to preserve his place upon his return from injury either.

Per FotMob, his 31 per cent duels won ranks him in the bottom 5.9 percentile of all Premier League left-backs this season.

On top of that, his one chance created and 84 successful passes place him in the lowest 21.6 and 41.2 percentiles.

Maatsen has also only completed one dribble, won one aerial duel and delivered one successful cross from his opening four league games.

On the flip side, he is in the top 9.8 per cent for his 64 total sprints and 5.9 per cent for his seven interceptions.

Having played 95 times for Villa since his summer 2024 move, he's clearly a player Emery likes, but Ruggeri's quality has now been put on full display too.