Sunday marked two years since Steven Gerrard was sacked by Aston Villa. His departure came after Villa lost 3-0 to Fulham at Craven Cottage.
He was replaced by Unai Emery, whose Villa side beat Fulham 3-1 at the same stadium on Saturday.
The transformation has been exceptional.
The weekend’s win was the first time Villa have recorded back-to-back victories at Craven Cottage, giving the club their best start in 26 years. The fingerprints of Emery’s rejuvenation are visible on every player, but none more than Lucas Digne.
“When I arrived here, I was not happy with his performances,” said Emery, speaking in Friday’s press conference. “I was not happy and I told him I needed more, I needed more in everything.
“But he was always very demanding of himself to do everything I asked of him. He’s a very good example for other players in how professional he is. He’s grateful to be with Aston Villa and our new way.”
In the past, Villa’s manager has been forthright about Digne, telling the French defender he wanted another left-back — Alex Moreno in January 2023 and, this summer, Ian Maatsen — as well as admitting he could leave last year owing to his £120,000 salary and interest from Saudi Arabia. An injury to another of Villa’s targets, Marcos Acuna, as well as Digne making clear he wanted to stay, meant a departure did not materialise.
Gradually, Emery has been won over by the 31-year-old’s response. Even this summer, Digne had few complaints when Villa blocked an approach from France’s Football Association to participate at the Paris Olympics, recognising the importance of pre-season with his club.
“He’s wanting more,” said Emery. “For example, France played on Monday (winning 2-1, with Digne playing the full match after being recalled by his national team). Usually, I give the players two days off after they’re with their national team, but Lucas was here on Wednesday. He had decided to come early, recover and train. I told the physios, ‘Today is not necessarily his session here with us, but he wants to train’.”
Digne is an often understated performer but operates in a critical position for Emery’s system. Villa’s 4-2-3-1 shape in theory becomes a 3-2-5 in practice, with the team’s in-possession tactics designed to unlock the left-back in high areas, as shown below.
Fundamentally, Villa build in an asymmetrical formation, with the right-back tucking in and the left-back supplying width. Digne stays deep while the ball is in Villa’s half to provide a build-up option, but is tasked with sprinting upfield when a move develops — as the pass map below shows, with Digne the furthest forward player, even more so than Ollie Watkins.
It was not so long ago that Villa decided to sign Alex Moreno, now on loan at Nottingham Forest, because he was regarded as the ideal profile for an Emery-style left-back; a sharp burst of acceleration was vital to his one-v-one and ball-carrying abilities.
Digne was seen as more of a stand-and-cross full-back. Yet, despite cutting his game from a more traditional cloth, Digne has now developed the required movement to fulfil Emery’s requirements, which means at times replicating a left-winger.
His impact at Fulham on Saturday reaffirmed the significant strides he has made. Before half-time, Diego Carlos drilled a pass over Fulham’s back line that was met by Digne’s high, overlapping run. He managed to direct a cross towards Morgan Rogers, who shot wide.
It was risk and reward for Emery, with Digne venturing forward to put crosses in — he attempted 39 more deliveries than any team-mate last season — while also guarding against the threat of Fulham’s Adama Traore down the same side.
This came after Villa conceded on transition in the previous away game, the 2-2 draw at Ipswich Town.
Yet the risk-versus-reward gamble worked against Fulham, with Traore being substituted in the 68th minute having had the second-fewest touches of any player (12), behind Ollie Watkins (9).
Before the break, 51 per cent of Villa’s attacks came down the left — more than twice the number generated from the right (24 per cent). “Lucas did fantastic work,” said Emery. “We tried to correct things we didn’t do right at Ipswich.”
Villa’s third goal was a sweeping, now trademark, diagonal move. On this occasion, it was Youri Tielemans who pierced the opposition midfield to find Rogers driving diagonally, who passed to Digne in space.
Digne whipped the cross along the edge of the six-yard box, increasing the likelihood of Issa Diop deflecting the ball into his net.
Even in additional time, Digne remained purposeful. He charged into a high area and — this time from a similar angle — decided to shoot hard and low.
The intensity Emery demands from his players was characterised by the left-back’s display.
“One thing is clear,” Emery said. “He has improved a lot defensively, focusing on the tactical idea we have. He’s defending better than when we arrived here. Offensively, we use him intelligently and with his very good crossing. He works at a very good tempo and can go higher when we need it.”
Perhaps surprisingly, that galling night two years ago did not bring major renewal; nine of the 14 players who featured are still at Villa.
Despite the match offering up some parallels, such as Matty Cash conceding a penalty for handball and another red card with Jaden Philogene, Emery’s Villa has been a revolution — and so has Digne.
