Aston Villa defender Clement Lenglet has turned things around for himself in Unai Emery’s team after a string of strong performances at centre-back.
Aston Villa have had their potential successes threatened by injury this season although now, Unai Emery may have a headache for selection.
Losing three key players to ACL injuries was not in the manager’s plans to have to deal with this term, particularly amid a growing number of injuries elsewhere in the side as well.
While the season-ending injury that Boubacar Kamara sustained against Manchester United has been the talk of the squad, the defence suffered another pivotal blow in the same week.
The injury of Diego Carlos meant that Emery’s backline is now without Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and the Brazilian, leaving just the newly returning Pau Torres and fifth-choice pick Clement Lenglet as those available.
After the victory over Fulham last time out, the pecking order may have changed as Lenglet showcased just how good he can be for Villa.
How Clement Lenglet performed against Fulham
At Craven Cottage, the return of Pau was the talking point when the lineup was released, although, after the game, it wasn’t only the Spaniard who was praised for his performance.
Recording eight clearances, winning two out of three ground duels and securing a stellar 98% pass completion rate, via Sofascore, Lenglet was just as efficient as his counterpart at the back.
Host of the UTV Podcast, Luke Robinson, lauded the Frenchman’s display as “very solid” after the game, as his playing style seemed to compliment Pau’s expertly.
In acting as the anchor in defence, the Barcelona loanee was able to hand his partner the keys to explore, which resulted in one instance in a goal for Villa thanks to his progressive thinking.
Going forward, the France international could see his chances in the starting XI increased based on his partnership with Pau, after what was an impressive away performance.
Clement Lenglet has become undroppable for Aston Villa
If Carlos was fit, it arguably would have been the Brazilian that would have paired Pau in central defence at Fulham however, now there could be a rotation in the pecking order for Emery to debate.
It wasn’t just against Fulham that Lenglet registered a high-level performance, with him showing his strengths against both Manchester United and Sheffield United most recently.
Despite the defeat, the Frenchman was impeccable against the Red Devils, winning 100% of his ground duels and posing as an authoritative figure alongside Carlos.
A similar assessment was made after the 5-0 victory over the Blades, where he recorded 112 touches and maintained a 93% passing accuracy to portray his reliability when called upon.
While Carlos has been strong for the Villans this term, the Brazilian has also been slightly rash in recent fixtures, prominently against United where he was too slow to react to Scott McTominay’s late winner.
Considering that before Christmas, there was talk of Barcelona wanting to terminate Lenglet’s loan due to his lack of game time at Villa, the centre-back has turned things around in his favour.
Now, the manager could be tempted to hand the 28-year-old a starting spot alongside Pau in the near future, particularly if his performances continue.
