Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans has become the subject of criticism following Villa’s 1-1 draw with West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.
Unai Emery will be happy to have seen his Aston Villa team leave the London Stadium with a point on Sunday after a controversial day when it came to the officials.
While only two goals were scored in the fixture, the ball hit the back of the net four times, with West Ham seeing two of their goals disallowed for handball.
The most controversial moment came in the dying embers as Tomas Soucek’s match-winner was ruled out, seeing the points shared after a below-par day for the Villans.
It was a hard-fought result considering that Villa were in action on Thursday and were without a host of star players however, one area of weakness displayed could signal a future problem for Emery.
Aston Villa missed John McGinn against West Ham
With Boubacar Kamara out for the season and John McGinn suspended after receiving a red card last week, Villa were stretched for resources in midfield.
While the Villans are blessed with a host of attacking options, there is now a shortage of players who can put the work in defensively, with Youri Tielemans not offering the cover needed to protect the back line in the engine room.
The Belgian was the catalyst behind Villa’s equaliser, with his over-the-top ball to Moussa Diaby triggering the attack that saw Nicolo Zaniolo level the playing field in the 79th minute.
Aside from his playmaking strengths, the 26-year-old found himself out of position on a number of occasions, with his display commented on by pundits.
What was said about Youri Tielemans’ performance against West Ham
Speaking on The 2 Robbies podcast, co-host Robbie Earle highlighted just how much Villa missed the presence of McGinn due to some frailties in Tielemans’ game.
“I thought they missed McGinn in midfield, his ability to receive the ball, you know how he receives it with people on his back and then he plays off.”
“I thought Tielemans, he’s not a six, he doesn’t work hard enough to clear space to get the ball, he wanted to run forward which causes a problem then when the two centre-backs get the ball and they look up, there’s no one to play off.”
Time after time in the game, particularly in the first half, Villa gave the ball away cheaply and failed to build play through the lines as effectively as they normally do.
Looking ahead, Emery will have a decision to make as the Villans prepare to be without their skipper for the next two games in the Premier League, with challenges against Wolves and Manchester City fast approaching.
Considering the performance of the visitors against West Ham, Villa were perhaps fortunate to take a point away from the contest, suggesting that the manager may need to adjust his selection ahead of the clash with Wolves.
