In a recent interview with Football Insider, former Premier League goalkeeper Paul Robinson has expressed his worries about Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz’s form. Robinson said,
“Dean Smith has insisted in the press that they are not reliant on Jack Grealish and that they do play well without him but the evidence suggests otherwise.
“What isn’t helping is if Douglas Luiz doesn’t play well. Those two are the cogs of the team and if they are sidelined or out of form they struggle.
“Luiz has set himself very high standards. He has had an outstanding season for them so far but it was a poor performance from him the other night.
“Yes, Luiz didn’t play well against Wolves but it is one bad game in 30. He has been an excellent signing for them. If he plays well, they play well.”
Douglas Luiz’s Up And Down Campaign In English Football
Luiz has experienced a season of mixed emotions at Villa Park so far. He has failed to capitalise on his impressive start to this campaign and has endured a poor run of form for the Villans in recent weeks. The 22-year-old has made 23 appearances for his current employers this term, picking up three assists in the process across all fronts.
The Brazilian youngster deserves credit for making an impact in both halves based on his average of 1.2 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 1.4 clearances, 0.9 shots, 0.6 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He has been careful when distributing the ball from midfield, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 85% in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
What Are The Brazilian Midfield Ace’s Best Attributes?
Luiz is a tough-tackling midfielder who can make some important interceptions for the Villans when he is playing well on the pitch. He is usually quick to react to the danger and is not shy of making up some ground to make a clearance when needed.
Plus, the Brazilian talent is a good passer of the ball and can create some decent chances for his teammates up top. However, his recent form has been far from convincing, which has left Aston Villa’s Top Four hopes in tatters.
Can Luiz Turn His Career Around At Villa Park?
Luiz has been guilty of losing possession far too often after giving away the ball 15 times versus Wolverhampton Wanderers last week. However, at 22, he is still quite young and would learn from this tough spell he has been going through of late.
The Villa midfielder has the right mentality to come out of the other side as a much-improved version of himself as long as he puts in the work in the training ground. With his current contract at Villa Park set to run until the summer of 2023, Luiz will have plenty of time to turn his career around for the better under the watchful eyes of Dean Smith.
