When Aston Villa and Unai Emery take on Olympiacos, they will be driven to resume their winning ways and secure their spot in the Europa Conference League final.
On Thursday, May 9, the Villans go for Greece with a two-goal deficit after losing 4–2 at Villa Park in the first leg of the match. Even if it won’t be simple to close that deficit, they have already proven this season that they are capable of defeating anybody.While Sunday’s (5 May) Premier League defeat at the hands of Brighton saw Morgan Rogers’ season potentially come to an end through injury, Emery may be handed a boost ahead of Thursday as an update emerged over Youri Tielemans. According to injury expert Ben Dinnery (6 May), the Belgian midfielder could return to the matchday squad for the clash in Greece this week having missed Villa’s last two matches through injury. Will Youri Tielemans play against Olympiacos?
After a sluggish beginning to his Villa career, Tielemans has emerged as one of the key players for Emery’s team in recent weeks thanks to his reliable performances in the middle of midfield with Douglas Luiz and John McGinn.
The 26-year-old played his final full match while wearing a Villans shirt, winning 3-1 at Villa Park against Bournemouth. According to Fotmob, Tielemans completed 92% of his 62 attempted passes in the game, 13 of which found a teammate in the final third.
But what really stood out about this performance was how fearlessly the Belgian international searched for the challenging solution. He also completed eighty percent of his long-range tries in the ninety minutes.
Most supporters and pundits praise the former Leicester star for his work on the ball, but he was equally effective out of possession. Against Bournemouth, the midfielder won 83 per cent of his six ground duels and all bar one of his aerial battles.
The 26-year-old threw himself into the midfield battle, but he didn’t commit a single tackle and even won two free kicks for Emery’s team. No player on either side won more duels during the game.
Tielemans engaged in eleven duels, ten of which were on the ground, during Villa’s pivotal Premier League victory over Arsenal at the Emirates. Even though he faced opponents like Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, the Belgian prevailed in 60% of his fights.
But his best attribute is when the ball is at his feet. According to Fbref, he ranks in the top three percent of players for assists per ninety minutes when compared to other midfielders in the Premier League this season.
This is partially due to the fact that he always tries to play the ball forward. At 7.28 progressive passes per game, Tielemans is in the 87th percentile of his positional counterparts in the division.
Since the 26-year-old like to send through balls in behind a defence, Ollie Watkins in particular greatly benefits from his delivery. In fact, just 2% of the league’s midfielders play more threaded passes each game than the Belgian.
Emery only needs to take a chance on starting Tielemans on Thursday if Villa hopes to overcome their deficit against Olympiacos. His efforts both on and off the ball will greatly increase the Villans’ prospects of qualifying for the European Final.
In other Aston Villa news, Villa Park has discussed the conditions needed to recruit Leeds star Crysencio Summerville.
