Micah Richards and Martin Keown were full of praise for one Aston Villa star who transformed the team’s passing against Brentford.
It was a fantastic night for Unai Emery and Aston Villa, who ended their eight-match winless run with a quality 3-1 win over Brentford.
Emery urged his players to respond to their recent criticism, and they did so in style by putting Thomas Frank’s men to the sword in the first half.
Three goals from Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash handed the hosts a healthy cushion, with many players performing exceptionally in claret and blue.
Tyrone Mings was ‘superb’ on his first Premier League start this term, defending brilliantly alongside Ezri Konsa, while Rogers showed shades of Dennis Bergkamp with his display.
Mings and Rogers, meanwhile, weren’t the only stars to catch the eye at Villa Park.
Boubacar Kamara of Aston Villa looks on during the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Brentford FC at Villa Park on December 04, 2024 ...
Photo by Aston Villa FC/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
Martin Keown and Micah Richards hail Boubacar Kamara after Brentford win
Midfielder Boubacar Kamara was arguably one of the best players on the pitch last night, as the Frenchman oozed control and class in the middle of the park.
Kamara ran the show in the Champions League last week, and now, he’s continuing to impress in the Premier League.
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The 25-year-old brings a unique skill set to Villa’s midfield; his ability to evade the press with his silky movement and positional awareness is special to watch.
For Rogers first goal of the night, Kamara’s role in the build-up was outstanding, as he swivelled away from two Brentford players who were pressing him and passed the ball to John McGinn.
It was his calmness in possession that kickstarted the attack and ultimately led to the goal, with Micah Richards and Martin Keown giving the Frenchman his flowers on BBC’s Match of the Day.
“Don’t you think with Kamara, that ball into McGinn there, at times when you’ve watched Villa recently, they’ve been a little bit sloppy. But you’ve seen there, it was touch and pass straight away. The weight of the ball to allow McGinn to go and then get Rogers back into the game.”
Keown replied: “Definitely. They were passing the ball way better, Cash getting involved, I think as well when Kamara plays it allows the full-backs to get higher up the pitch.”
There’s no wonder Villa fans compared Kamara to Rodri, as his influence on the pitch is monumental and one statistic shows it.
Kamara didn’t misplace a single pass vs Brentford
Remarkably, throughout his 71 minutes on the pitch against Brentford, Kamara didn’t misplace a single one of his 32 passes while also making three clearances and one tackle.
Boubacar Kamara stats vs Brentford
71 minutes played
32/32 (100%) passes completed
42 touches
2 accurate long balls
3 clearances
1 tackle
The above table evinces how dominant the Frenchman was in and out of possession. Indeed, he was simply a class above his opponents and near-perfect in every department.
It will now be interesting to see how Emery accommodates Amadou Onana once he returns from injury, with the Spaniard perhaps using him in a midfield three with Youri Tielemans and Kamara.
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