Lucas Digne looks on as Unai Emery cuts a perturbed figure
Credit: Tung Manh Phan
Richie Mills
Sun 1 March 2026 12:40, UK
Lucas Digne has had a mixed season for Aston Villa, with the Frenchman under increased scrutiny.
In November, Digne was riding high after starring for France in a 4-0 win over Ukraine, with the left-back primed to go to the 2026 World Cup.
After turning provider in Villa‘s 2-0 win away at Newcastle United on 25 February, no Premier League defender had delivered more assists (four) than Digne this season.
However, the 32-year-old has struggled a bit more for Unai Emery‘s side since the turn of the year.
Digne’s defending against Bournemouth in a 1-1 draw on 7 February was non-existent for Rayan’s goal, leading to his dropping for the next two games.
And he didn’t set the world alight in the Villa Park outfit’s 2-0 loss to Wolves on Friday, either.
Unai Emery doesn’t seem set on his number one left-back
With Ian Maatsen getting the nod for the win over Brighton and the draw with Leeds United, some Villa fans were surprised to see the 23-year-old on the bench for the trip to Wolves.
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Digne, who had an off day for Villa against Newcastle United in the FA Cup last month, played the first 70 minutes before Maatsen replaced him.
As the Sofascore graphic shows below, Digne won none of his three duels, was accurate with one out of five of his crosses, but had a very high pass completion rate.
Lucas Digne's stats vs Wolves
Credit: Sofascore
Going by the stats from the game, Villa should have won this one. They had 61 per cent possession, an Expected Goals tally of 1.06 versus 0.92, and chalked up 14 shots on goal to Wolves’ nine.
They had five shots on target to the hosts’ two, Jose Sa had four saves to make, Emi Martinez had none, and Villa won more aerial duels and had more touches in the opposition’s box.
But they couldn’t find a way through Rob Edwards’ team, as they struggled against a relegation-threatened side again.
Going forward, it seems Emery is not set on whether Digne or Maatsen is his first-choice left-back. The former has made 31 appearances this season, starting 20 of them, and the latter has also featured 31 times, starting on 19 occasions.
It will be interesting to see who starts next time out.
Are Aston Villa out of the title race?
Friday’s shock defeat to Wolves, who are rooted to the bottom of the table, means Villa stay third in the Premier League – 10 points behind Arsenal.
For the last couple of months, talk has been of Villa being title contenders. Now, fans are worried that the club will falter in their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
They are three points ahead of Manchester United and Liverpool, but the former host lowly Crystal Palace on Sunday at Old Trafford, so could draw level with the Villans.
Moreover, Wolves appear to be turning into something of a bogey team for Emery’s Villa, whose title challenge has surely ended.
Villa were always going to be outsiders for the Premier League title, a battle that looks to be heading to the wire between Arsenal and Manchester City.
The West Midlands outfit will also have an eye on winning the Europa League this season, but their injury issues and busy schedule may be taking its toll.
Next up, Villa host sixth-placed Chelsea on Wednesday. If they lose that and the Blues get a result at Arsenal on Sunday, Villa will be in serious trouble of dropping out of the Champions League qualification spots.
As the curious case of Digne continues, maybe it’s best he drops back out again.
For even more Aston Villa news, head over to Football Insider for the latest.