Douglas Luiz – The future of the Aston Villa midfield?

Douglas Luiz is an accomplished starter for Aston Villa and a Brazilian international at just 23 years of age, but some fans are still unaware of the gem they have in their midfield. The statistics outline this here.

Douglas Luiz is an integral member of this Aston Villa squad and his performances in claret and blue have forced his former boss Pep Guardiola into considering the £25 million buy back clause Manchester City inserted into his contract. Luiz cannot be underestimated, losing him would be devastating for Villa.

Luiz has settled into the number six role for Villa as shown in the graphic (Wyscout), sitting just in front of the defence in an attempt to break up the oppositions attacking play as well as linking the defence and midfield.

Source: Wyscout

His most obvious trait is his passing ability. Amongst players who have played at least 1000 minutes of football for Villa this season, he is second in passing accuracy with a completion rate of 83.9%. This is only bettered by Ezri Konsa.

What makes this so impressive if the progression he initiates with these passes. Konsa has completed 31 progressive passes, whereas Luiz has completed 97. He forces Villa up the pitch with his direct and precise passing and when he is not in the squad this sharpness is missed, for example the Burnley game at home and Sheffield United away.

With 112 passes into the final third of the pitch, he is ranked third in the team for this vital statistic. Without Luiz there, Villa struggle to progress the ball and fail to mount any meaningful attacks.

An underrated aspect of his game is his work rate. He has accumulated 555 pressures for Villa, this is the second most on the team behind only Ollie Watkins with 557. Considering Luiz has missed a game through suspension and benched twice this is extremely impressive.

He is also sixth in the league for pressures in the defensive third (215) and tenth in the league for pressures in midfield (274). With less minutes than those around him, the shift he puts in for this team and his effort levels must be talked about more often.

His pressures also get their rewards. He averages 7.48 defensive duels each game which is second on the team, behind Matty Cash with 10.23. As well as blocking 0.44 shots per game behind only the two centre backs in Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings. His defensive effort is amongst the best in the squad.

An issue for Luiz however his is discipline. He is the most booked player in the Premier League this season with ten yellow cards (counting the two against Wolves). This is no shock as he leads the squad in fouls per game with 1.81 being his average. As seen against Wolves and Manchester United, his love for a challenge could cost Villa in some situations.

Fans have been quick to criticise him at times this season after some questionable decisions. However, for a player settling into a new role as well as only learning the language a year ago, Douglas’ progress has been magnificent. Over the coming seasons I hope to see him grow into a pillar of this team, he has shown glimpses and has all the potential of being a massive player in claret and blue.

His performance against Everton outlined this. After mistakes against United to bounce back like he did showed real quality and an immense amount of character. He led the team in pass accuracy with 92.6%, won five ground duels, had two interceptions, two tackles and finally two clearances. His passing was sharp and he broke play up well, doing everything Dean Smith could possibly ask of him.

If Pep does in fact decide to trigger the buyback clause, it woudn’t be a surprise. Fernandinho their current defensive midfielder is nearing the end of his career, Luiz could be the perfect replacement for City with his crisp passing and defensive ability. Villa should do everything in their power in order to keep Luiz at the club. He is a gem of a player and fans often forget, only 23 years of age.

(Data as of 8/5/21)

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