Aston Villa’s European knockout adventure started off with a drab 0-0 draw against Ajax last night.
In truth, it was a game that neither side wanted to lose, but the result sets up a fantastic second leg at Villa Park next week.
The entire match saw very little action in the final third, with the hosts dominating the ball with 60% possession. Both teams registered just four shots each all game, which really highlights how poor the attacking play was.
Everyone on Unai Emery’s side struggled to put their stamp on the game, but there was one player in particular who struggled to have any real impact, even having fewer touches than Emi Martinez.
Emi Martinez’s performance vs Ajax
In truth, the World Cup winner didn’t have very much to do on the night, but he did his job well, including taking his time to do pretty much anything.
Birmingham Live gave the Argentine shot-stopper an 8/10 rating for his performance, claiming that Martinez was the man of the match.
The number one made one important save in the tie, preventing 0.2 goals and taking on a proactive approach with one clearance and three runs out.
On the ball, the goalkeeper was pressed at times and gave it away cheaply on a few occasions, with a pass accuracy of 72%, but he did have 52 touches throughout the game.
A clean sheet topped off a respectable showing from the former Arsenal man, who was one of the few real positives on the night.
Aston Villa may already have a Cash replacement in “complete" 18y/o
The young prospect has already played in the Champions League.
ByTom LeverMar 6, 2024 Youri Tielemans’ game in numbers
Despite Moussa Diaby and Morgan Rogers both featuring in the starting lineup, Youri Tielemans continued to play in the second striker role, even though he’s a midfielder by trade.
The Belgian ace completed the full 90 minutes, but it was not a memorable performance, and Birmingham Live rated his performance a 6/10.
Although he was the second-furthest player forward behind just Ollie Watkins, Tielemans did very little to impact the game in the final third, and, in truth, the 26-year-old was a passenger for the most part.
Shots
0
Successful dribbles
0/2
Pass accuracy
68%
Touches
32
Duels won
2/7
Tackles
0
As you can see by the table above showcasing his key statistics from the game, the former Leicester City gem failed both of his dribble attempts, had no shots, and made one key pass, which proves he was ineffective on the whole.
Tielemans would endure long spells without the ball, hence the 32 touches, 20 fewer than Martinez in net, but when he did get the ball, he was wasteful, boasting a pass accuracy of 68%.
Unfortunately, the number eight also offered nothing from an out-of-possession perspective, making zero defensive actions and winning just two of his seven duels.
It’s quite clear that it was a night to forget for Tielemans, but the Villa faithful will be confident of progressing at Villa Park next Thursday.
Nevertheless, Emery's attention will now switch to the huge game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, and the former Leicester star may have played his way out of the manager's thinking for that clash.