Why Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara could be vital for Unai Emery at Aston Villa

Just over a month ago, things looked bleak for Aston Villa, particularly in the midfield department. Douglas Luiz was linked with a move to a host of top clubs around Europe and extensively chased by Arsenal on deadline day. Most expected the Brazilian would leave this season as the expiration of his previous deal loomed large.

Meanwhile, Boubacar Kamara suffered a major setback in the first-half of The Villans’ 1-0 victory over Southampton last month after damaging ligaments in his knee and was set to miss the next few months worth of action; crucially keeping him out of this year’s World Cup in Qatar.

Results were not going the way of the claret and blue side either and Steven Gerrard’s job was under serious scrutiny with his team vastly under performing in the league.

Fast forward four weeks and the situation appears significantly better. The news of Luiz’s contract extension was rapturously welcomed by the Aston Villa faithful and the premature return of Kamara, pictured here in first-team training this week, has reformed the morale around the club.

Pictured: Aston Villa midfielders Boubacar Kamara (left) and Douglas Luiz (right).Photo by Isaac Parkin/PA Images via Getty ImagesThis is supported by Monday night’s appointment of former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain manager Unai Emery who arrives from Spanish side Villarreal after Aston Villa activated the €6 million release clause in his contract.

Villa owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens began their search for an elite manager that could lead the talented squad further up the league after relieving Steven Gerrard of his duties on the night of the 3-0 defeat to Marco Silva’s Fulham.

Stand-in head coach Aaron Danks led the disgruntled Villa side into battle last Sunday and superbly executed a 4-0 win over Brentford. The former RSC Anderlecht assistant will be in charge this weekend against Newcastle United too, before Emery takes over from November 1st.

Pictured: Aaron Danks celebrates victory over Brentford.Photo by Barrington Coombs/PA Images via Getty ImagesEmery has favoured either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 formation during his time in management. The Spaniard’s playing style emphasizes the importance of a double-pivot in midfield as this pairing is asked to orchestrate play and lead the team in attack and also play crucial role defensively and out of possession. Here, Luiz and Kamara can thrive and be effective.

The reputable head coach’s use of a double-pivot has played a key role in his success as a manager. It consists of a play-maker type (Douglas Luiz); a player who possesses a fine passing range and can pick out the creative talents further forward, and a destroyer type (Boubacar Kamara) who can break up play and be that physical presence ahead of the defence.

The 50 year-old won three consecutive UEFA Europa League titles with former club Sevilla between 2013 and 2016. Whilst there differing personnel played all of the finals, two things remained consistent: the system (4-2-3-1) and the use of a double-pivot midfield.

Emery’s Sevilla side were notoriously well-drilled and capable of adapting to different roles and acting upon new instructions during a match. This helped them on their way to victory against Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool in 2016’s final in Basel.

This fixture was a fine example of just how dynamic and expandable an Emery-led side can be. In this scenario, Sevilla fought back from a goal down to defeat The Reds after tactical tweaks gave the Spanish side the advantage in the second-half.

Pictured: Emery celebrates the victory over Liverpool.Photo by Michael Steele/Getty ImagesSteven Nzonzi and Grzegorz Kyrchowiak made up the double-pivot in this game and alongside the energetic Éver Banega, the midfield’s role was to control the ball and utilize the side’s technical abilities to find a way past the difficult Merseyside opposition.

In the first half, Liverpool forwards Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino found success in between the defensive and midfield lines; an issue that allowed Klopp’s side to create the better of the chances and score the game’s opening goal.

Emery’s alteration at half-time saw the double-pivot’s priority switch to focusing more on the defensive side of the game and denying Firmino/Sturridge time and space, rather than generating play and being the primary origin of the team’s attacks.

From here, Sevilla found offensive success down the wings and were able to score three goals that subsequently won them the tie. Emery’s choice to switch into a 4-2-2 late on in the game after Jürgen Klopp threw on a host of attacking options from the bench benefited his side as well.

Numerically, Sevilla had the advantage as centre-backs Daniel Carriçoand Adil Rami plus the double-pivot midfield were able to snuff out any of the danger caused by substitutes Divock Origi and Christian Benteke who occupied central positions in and around the box.

The versatility of the double-pivot here, accompanied with the tactical awareness and intellect of the experienced head coach, helped the Andalusia-based side to their third straight Europa League title, despite being distinct underdogs in the build-up to the game.

Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara are perfect fits for these central roles as they each share innate abilities to defend and are both technically capable of instigating attacking sequences with their excellent passing range—ideal for an Emery set-up.

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By: liamayrtondavies
Title: Why Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara could be vital for Unai Emery at Aston Villa
Sourced From: 7500toholte.sbnation.com/2022/10/28/23276496/why-douglas-luiz-and-boubacar-kamara-could-be-vital-for-unai-emery-at-aston-villa
Published Date: Fri, 28 Oct 2022 09:59:32 +0000