Aston Villa, Newcastle United
Aston Villa are set to take on Newcastle United in the Premier League.
Zak Anderton
Thu 26 December 2024 10:40, UK
Youri Tielemans could make Eddie Howe’s comment about Sandro Tonali look silly in the Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Newcastle on Boxing Day.
The Italian midfielder has assumed a first-team role for the Magpies this season as he was suspended by the FA last term due to alleged breaches of betting rules.
Howe’s men are currently eighth in the top-flight table and a win against the Villans on 26 December, should other results go their way, could see them move as high as fifth.
Since Tonali’s return, he’s become a key cog in Newcastle’s system with Howe even comparing his performances and play style to that of the legendary Andrea Pirlo.
“When I first saw Sandro play, there were definite links to Pirlo and it’s not just the hair,” he said in quotes relayed by the Daily Mirror (26 December, page 25).
“He’s definitely got those similar qualities in terms of build and style but the thing that set Sandro apart was he could do all of those things technically and tactically looking really good, but it’s his athleticism as well.
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“We’ve seen that in recent games from a defensive viewpoint now more than an attacking viewpoint, where he’s sprinting to put out fires for us, nicking balls, intercepting balls, using his athleticism to track runners.”
However, when Villa face Howe’s men on boxing day, it feels like Youri Tielemans could make Howe eat his words.
How can Aston Villa ace Youri Tielemans make Eddie Howe eat his words?
Since the start of the 2024/25 season, the Villans have once again come out of the starting blocks all guns blazing.
Unai Emery has instilled a level of confidence in the team that they previously hadn’t shown and to be quite frank, he’s doing an impressive job.
Especially in their 2-1 Premier League victory over Manchester City on 21 December when Tielemans was one of their best midfielders on the day.
As per Sofascore, in the 90 minutes, he was on the pitch, the Belgian maintained a pass accuracy of 77 per cent and had 46 touches of the ball.
While he didn’t contribute to any goals or assists, his passing was still a sight to behold with two of his 27 successful passes being deemed as key.
He completed 100 per cent of the long balls he attempted and also created one big chance. Defensively, he was also more than solid.
Youri Tielemans
Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans [Credit: Imago]
He won 66 per cent of the ground duels he attempted, though he did lose possession of the ball 12 times.
That might seem like a high number but when you’re as involved as the former Leicester City man is in games, you’re bound to lose the odd ball here and there.
He also made one interception, three tackles and was only dribbled past twice. Howe may have compared some of Tonali’s areas of performance with Pirlo’s, but if Tielemans has anything to do with it, he could leave Howe rather red-faced.
In other Aston Villa news, Richard Keys has taken a swipe over Morgan Rogers.
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