With Aston Villa’s season in full-flow, I’ve been reviewing our summer arrivals and how they’ve contributed to the club’s fifth-placed standing after game week nine, continuing with Moussa Diaby.
Joining me to review Moussa Diaby’s start is our Player Ratings contributor, Gary Plaza.
MOUSSA DIABY
Signed from German outfit Bayer Leverkusen for £52 million, Moussa Diaby has hit the ground running – and at some speed – his pace is frightening.
Diaby, has already contributed to 5 goals in nine Premier League games, starting in all, and completing 704 minutes of the possible 810 minutes.
He opened his goal-scoring account with an equaliser against Newcastle United on the opening day (we’ll brush over the final result), while also bagging in a 1-3 win away against Burnley. He’s been unlucky not to add further goals; he was marginally off-side against Crystal Palace at Villa Park, and his effort in the 6-1 annihilation of Brighton Hove & Albion was awarded as an own goal. He has registered 3 assists.
Diaby has been partnered in a front-two, alongside Ollie Watkins, giving Aston Villa a new dynamic to their attacking line. It’s made us more expansive as a unit and enabled us to be more of a threat on the right side compared to our heavily dominated left-sided attack of last season.
In the Premier League, he has attempted 20 shots, with 8 on target, averaging 2.56 shots per 90 minutes; only Ollie Watkins has more with 29. In the build-up, he has contributed to 24 shot-creating actions (an offensive action such as a pass, take-on, or drawing a foul that leads to an attempt on goal) and has the second-most goal-creating actions with 4.
With possession, he has the team’s most carries into the penalty area (15) and the second most touches in the penalty area (40). In addition to receiving the second most progressive passes (54), only second to Lucas Digne.
Diaby tops progressive carriers with 31 in total and has attempted 17 take-ons with a 52.9% success rate.
Away from Premier League football in the UECL, Diaby has been used very sparingly in the opening three group games. Coming on for the final 30 minutes in the late 1-0 win against Zrinjski Mostar at Villa Park, and in the dying embers of the 1-4 away win at AZ Alkmaar. I’m confident he’ll contribute more as the competition progresses.
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Gary, your thoughts on Diaby.
“Being linked to a player like Moussa Diaby, less than 12 months after he was linked with a £70m move to Newcastle, showed how far we had come as a club in such a short space of time. To then sign Diaby for under £50m was proof that as a club, we were back”.
“Diaby himself has hit the ground running. In my opinion, he has been the replacement we’ve needed since Grealish left. He touch and close control are outstanding, and he glides across the pitch in a way I’ve only previously seen from JG”.
“He has also added an attacking threat both out wide and also as a second striker and seems to have a great relationship with Ollie. They have created a league high 17 chances for each other already”.
“I think we should also give him additional credit. Since he arrived, Bailey has transformed into the player we all thought we’d get from day one”.
“This is a special time to be a Villa fan, and I’m here for it all”.
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PLAYER FOCUS | SUMMER ARRIVALS
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