When Douglas Luiz left Aston Villa in the summer, there would have been a sense of worry amongst the fanbase.
Such a key figure and important player was heading for the exit door for Aston Villa to meet Financial Play Rules and Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Yet, fast forward to the present, and Luiz is having a mixed time at Juventus and the Brazil star hasn’t been much of a miss.
Yes, there is still a long way to go, but there are a few good reasons behind this.
The obvious one is the genius of Unai Emery, including the summer arrivals of Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley.
Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana’s impact at Aston Villa
Barkley scored his first goal for Villa against Bournemouth, it was just a shame it didn’t come in a winning situation after that 96th-minute equaliser.
As for Onana, yes, he is having a mixed time of it so far, but there have been some standout moments from the player.
Onana was Villa’s Player of the Month for August, including strong performances in the Champions League.
He just needs to avoid getting taken off at half-time because it is happening far too often for the player.
Youri Tielemans has won more duals than any other Aston Villa player
Another reason why Luiz hasn’t been much of a miss is because of the form of Youri Tielemans.
The Belgium star has been outstanding in the middle of the park and started every game – bar the EFL Cup against Wycombe – for Emery.
Many think Tielemans has been Villa’s best player so far, with a standout stat emerging after the weekend game.
Aston Villa Statto claimed on Twitter that Tielemans has won 50+ duals this season, and none of his teammates have won more, in fact, nobody else is above 40.
Everyone is aware of Tielemans’ ability on the ball, he is a class above, but he has improved so much without it and is transforming into the perfect number eight for the team.
