Why Unai Emery's Zion Suzuki admission gives Aston Villa glimpse of the future after Hull
Unai Emery was rightfully impressed by Zion Suzuki in Aston Villa's 0-0 draw against Hull City.
The Villans were held at the MKM Stadium to a Hull side who are yet to be broken in the Premier League.
Unsurprisingly , the B6 side had to ride some nervy moments away from home, and conceded a total of 0.57 xG to the Tigers.
Though a point only adds to what has been a far from ideal start, Emery has acknowledged the good that has come away from the performance.
A clean sheet is obviously something to build on, especially after conceding a historic four-goal flurry on the opening day against Brighton.
Suzuki was one of the positives, and his emerging statistics from the game on Saturday prove why Aston Villa pushed the boat out for his signature.
Zion Suzuki evidence gives glimpse of Aston Villa's future
Suzuki made his debut for the club in the 1-0 loss to Arsenal, shortly after Emi Martinez made his move to Chelsea.
Though it was somewhat a baptism of fire, the Japan international held his own at Villa Park, and only built on his debut with a solid display against Hull.
The 24-year-old made four saves against the Tigers, prevented a total of 0.17 goals.
But it was his passing that caught the eye.
Suzuki has a 95 per cent passing accuracy, with nine of 10 long balls finding an Aston Villa player.
Overall, he had 55 touches of the ball, and earned a positive 7.6 FotMob rating.
Suzuki now has an early, but impressive overall save percentage of 83.3 per cent for the Villans.
He's given Villa fans a glimpse of what's to come in B6, as he's certainly left an impression on his boss.
What Unai Emery thought of Suzuki's performance against Hul
Villa did more than enough to beat Hull, having 74 per cent of possession, missing two big chances after generating 1.93 in expected goals.
But that says more about Villa's frontline than it does with their defence, and more importantly, Suzuki.
Emery was pleased with his goalkeeper's performance, and was full of praise for the former Parma star after the draw.
The Aston Villa head coach said, as quoted by Birmingham Live: "Today, he [Suzuki] did another step forward more with a clean sheet. He dominated with the ball possession, adding him to build up and help us to be patient.
"Then, sometimes as well, he did good long balls to our strikers and wingers. He also dominated when we needed some actions defensively, with crosses and set-pieces."
Emery is not pleased with the result, but is happy with the performance, and will look for three points next time.