{"id":565438,"date":"2020-09-11T15:00:16","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T19:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=565438"},"modified":"2020-09-11T15:00:16","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T19:00:16","slug":"why-douglas-luiz-will-be-aston-villas-key-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/09\/11\/why-douglas-luiz-will-be-aston-villas-key-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Douglas Luiz Will Be Aston Villa\u2019s Key Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

Douglas Luiz<\/span><\/a> had a mixed season for Aston Villa<\/a> last year, but he has become a firm fan-favourite since his heroic performances during Project Restart. Arguably Villa\u2019s best player, he marshalled and settled the midfield in his role shielding the back four. He was also instrumental in plugging the gaps in Villa\u2019s leaky defence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Much is made of the impact Jack Grealish<\/a> had on Aston Villa\u2019s season last year. His club\u2019s highest scorer, talisman and captain, it\u2019s true that Grealish did at times drag Villa to victory. As Villa\u2019s second term in the top flight approaches, however, it may not be Grealish who becomes the heart of this team.<\/span><\/p>\n

Douglas Luiz Can Be Aston Villa’s Key Man<\/h2>\n

Luiz\u2019s Defensive Duties<\/h3>\n

Prior to Lockdown, Villa were expected to concede on average <\/span>2.2 goals per game<\/span><\/a>. When football resumed, they were able to reduce their expected goals against per game to 0.77. That is an astonishing decrease and the reason that Villa were able to remain in the Premier League<\/a> for another year, despite their precarious position in the relegation zone during Lockdown.<\/span><\/p>\n

Examining Luiz\u2019s<\/a> stats reveal just how instrumental he was to Villa over the season. According to the Premier League\u2019s <\/span>official website<\/span><\/a>, he recovered the ball 205 times, 50 more than midfield teammate <\/span>Marvelous Nakamba<\/span><\/a> and fan-favourite <\/span>John McGinn<\/span><\/a>. He also made 47 clearances, 15 more than Nakamba, and blocked 16 shots, \u00a0the most of any member of Villa\u2019s midfield players.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Link with Attack\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not just his defensive attributes that make him vital to Villa\u2019s chances of survival next season. His stats also reveal that he was the engine room for much of Villa\u2019s work going forward. After Project Restart, Villa sat deep, allowing teams to come onto them before breaking on the counter-attack. This wouldn\u2019t have been possible without Luiz, who completed 92 accurate long balls. In midfield, Nakamba completed 24, <\/span>Conor Hourihane<\/span><\/a> 18 and McGinn 82. Only defender <\/span>Tyrone Mings<\/span><\/a> made more (117). Luiz adapted to the new style Head Coach Dean Smith proposed and was instrumental in releasing Villa\u2019s attacking players.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also registered 1,208 passes, 500 more than any other midfield teammate. Luiz is the key link between Villa\u2019s defence and attack, providing not only defensive cover but the impetus for attack. At 22 he is also only going to get better, with a year\u2019s Premier League experience under his belt we will see a very different Douglas Luiz this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the signings of Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins, Villa are likely to delve into the transfer market again before long. But they may well already have their key man training at Bodymoor Heath in the form of midfielder Douglas Luiz.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>