Aston Villa travel to rivals West Bromwich Albion on tonight in the hope that they can make it two wins in a row in the Premier League. After the struggles of last season, which saw them escape relegation by the skin of their teeth thanks to a late flurry of form, they have looked a much more mature and confident outfit this time around.
One man that has epitomised their season so far is central midfielder Fabian Delph. Despite missing their last two matches through a combination of illness and a knee injury, he has been a stand-out performer in the early stages of the season at Villa Park and Paul Lambert will be hoping that Delph will be fit enough to make his return on Monday.
The combative midfielder has been able to step his performances up a level in the past year after a sluggish start to his Villa career. He looks to be finally fulfilling the promise he showed as a youngster at Leeds. After all, his potential persuaded former Villa boss Martin O’Neill to splash out £8million on him back in 2009.
Delph has become the heartbeat of Villa’s midfield this season, his ability to drive forward from deep proves again that the decision to move him from the advanced position he took up when he first joined the club to a deep-lying role was the correct one. He has won 26 take-ons at a 74% success rate; only four players have completed more dribbles in the Premier League this season.
Delph’s ability to draw a foul when running in-between the defensive lines, gives Villa’s opponents one extra thing to think about. He has won 28 fouls this season, with only Eden Hazard and Ross Barkley (29) beating that tally, proving that opponents feel to need to stop the change of pace Delph can bring to a game.
The energetic midfielder thrives off the battle in the centre of the park and in a derby; you need players like that in your side. He is a workaholic who loves to get stuck into a tackle, breaking up play on a regular basis. Delph has won 24 tackles this season but his success rate of 46% suggests that his enthusiasm for a duel does sometimes get the better of him. His Heat Map in the 0-0 draw against Hull shows how hard he works to win the ball back for his team whilst also being able to his base position on the left of Villa’s midfield trio.
However, Delph is not all gung-ho when he steps over the white line, he has shown a great ability to read the game defensively too. Against Liverpool earlier this season, he made a stunning seven interceptions, giving his teammates a much-needed breather regularly in the process. In total, he has seized the ball from his opponents 21 times this season.
Although he is the sort of player you want to have fit in a derby match, Delph is somewhat limited when he finds himself in advanced areas of the pitch. His 82% pass accuracy shows that he tick over play efficiently enough but his tally of seven chances created, without an assist, shows that he rarely attempts a pass that cuts open a defence. He has also managed just four shots on goal with one on target.
Delph may not offer much in the final third but his ability to run with the ball from deep areas is crucial to Villa, especially when you consider how often they play on the counter-attack. His bite in the tackle combined with his work rate and attitude means that he will be a vital player to have back when they take on rivals West Brom on Monday night.
Squawka.com
One man that has epitomised their season so far is central midfielder Fabian Delph. Despite missing their last two matches through a combination of illness and a knee injury, he has been a stand-out performer in the early stages of the season at Villa Park and Paul Lambert will be hoping that Delph will be fit enough to make his return on Monday.
The combative midfielder has been able to step his performances up a level in the past year after a sluggish start to his Villa career. He looks to be finally fulfilling the promise he showed as a youngster at Leeds. After all, his potential persuaded former Villa boss Martin O’Neill to splash out £8million on him back in 2009.
Delph has become the heartbeat of Villa’s midfield this season, his ability to drive forward from deep proves again that the decision to move him from the advanced position he took up when he first joined the club to a deep-lying role was the correct one. He has won 26 take-ons at a 74% success rate; only four players have completed more dribbles in the Premier League this season.
Delph’s ability to draw a foul when running in-between the defensive lines, gives Villa’s opponents one extra thing to think about. He has won 28 fouls this season, with only Eden Hazard and Ross Barkley (29) beating that tally, proving that opponents feel to need to stop the change of pace Delph can bring to a game.
The energetic midfielder thrives off the battle in the centre of the park and in a derby; you need players like that in your side. He is a workaholic who loves to get stuck into a tackle, breaking up play on a regular basis. Delph has won 24 tackles this season but his success rate of 46% suggests that his enthusiasm for a duel does sometimes get the better of him. His Heat Map in the 0-0 draw against Hull shows how hard he works to win the ball back for his team whilst also being able to his base position on the left of Villa’s midfield trio.
However, Delph is not all gung-ho when he steps over the white line, he has shown a great ability to read the game defensively too. Against Liverpool earlier this season, he made a stunning seven interceptions, giving his teammates a much-needed breather regularly in the process. In total, he has seized the ball from his opponents 21 times this season.
Although he is the sort of player you want to have fit in a derby match, Delph is somewhat limited when he finds himself in advanced areas of the pitch. His 82% pass accuracy shows that he tick over play efficiently enough but his tally of seven chances created, without an assist, shows that he rarely attempts a pass that cuts open a defence. He has also managed just four shots on goal with one on target.
Delph may not offer much in the final third but his ability to run with the ball from deep areas is crucial to Villa, especially when you consider how often they play on the counter-attack. His bite in the tackle combined with his work rate and attitude means that he will be a vital player to have back when they take on rivals West Brom on Monday night.
Squawka.com
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