Douglas Luiz is one of several Aston Villa players who is having an incredible season in claret and blue.
Douglas Luiz was suspended alongside left-back Lucas Digne in Aston Villa’s 2-1 win against 10-man Brentford on Sunday and his presence was sorely missed in midfield.
Villa started in typically slow fashion on their travels as Keane Lewis-Potter opened the scoring for Brentford on the stroke of half-time.
It took a Ben Mee sending-off and a couple of inspired substitutions from Unai Emery to turn the game on its head in the second half.
Alex Moreno levelled the scores on his return to the side before Ollie Watkins stepped up against his former club to clinch the winning goal.
Although the victory sent Villa one point behind leaders Arsenal at the top, their struggles in London were accentuated by the absence of Luiz, who had been the creative force behind their midfield all season long.
Douglas Luiz’s statistics this season
Since the arrival of Emery, Luiz has enjoyed his transformation into an all-encompassing central midfielder.
The Brazilian was previously recognised for his ability as a tackling machine while sweeping possession in front of Villa’s back line.
Now he’s being utilised as the complete midfielder, who is outrageously comfortable on the ball and has an exceptional passing range, perfectly complementing the high-octane style of Boubacar Kamara.
He’s the conductor in the centre of the park, the one who receives the ball from his teammates and takes responsibility.
This is underscored by his ranking in the Villa squad for an array of passing statistics, placing second for accurate passes per game (52.8), fifth for big chances created (4) and top for accurate long balls per game (3.8), as per Sofascore.
From these statistics alone it is easy to see why Emery’s side struggled to break Brentford down, however, it’s also his impact at the top end of the pitch that furthers his mantra.
After providing a goal or assist in each of the Villans seven consecutive home games between April and November, he was hailed by journalist John Townley as a “special talent”.
Considering he became the first Villa player to achieve such a record in the Premier League, there’s no wonder why Arsenal are so desperate to sign him.
When he returns to the starting XI against Sheffield United on Friday night, the £75k-a-week star will demonstrate why he’s so integral to how Emery’s side seamlessly transitions from defence to attack.
