Jhon Duran. Villa Park. Champions League nights.
It is a combination that has provided nothing but unbridled joy to Aston Villa so far.
That dramatic winner from the bench against Bayern Munich set the tone but Duran took the opportunity to show his quality from the first whistle against Bologna after being named in the starting XI for only the second time in all competitions this season.
He has rapidly built a reputation as a ‘super sub’ but he will be keen to shift that tag. The key question was whether Duran could make the same impact starting for Unai Emery’s side.
His goal in the 2-0 victory went a long way to answering that question, with the 20-year-old proving to be more than comfortable on the stage of Europe’s elite competition.
Duran’s energy was understandably high in the early exchanges, making channel runs on both flanks in the opening two minutes to show his keenness to be the focal point of Villa’s attack.
Duran’s three fouls committed were more than any of his team-mates as he put his body about and scrapped for loose balls. Few people can doubt his confidence, but the truth was that his overall display was not the all-action performance that we come to expect from a modern striker.
It opens up wider questions about Duran’s broader skill set in the early stages of his career.
There is little doubt of his finishing ability, but does he have Ollie Watkins’ intelligence in his pressing? No. Does he offer the same deftness of touch as Watkins when dropping in to link the play? Not quite. Does he dominate the opposition centre-backs in aerial battles? Not as often as you would expect.
No starting Villa player made fewer than Duran’s 14 passes. That is hardly surprising for a centre-forward, but just eight of those passes found a team-mate, making his overall involvement — as highlighted by The Athletic’s new player dashboard — little to write home about.
There were certainly better performances from his team-mates.
Morgan Rogers’ driving runs were a sight to behold as the 22-year-old opened up Bologna’s man-for-man press with his purposeful running. Ian Maatsen made a strong impression on a rare start as he relentlessly pushed forward to create from the left flank. Youri Tielemans’ metronomic delivery stitched the play with more passes than any of Villa’s midfielders.
And yet… who needs a well-rounded performance when you have a player guaranteed to get the crowd off their feet?
The Colombia striker had five shots in his 66 minutes on the pitch, more than any player on the night. It brings him to a total of nine strikes in a combined 115 minutes in the Champions League this season — in case you need a nudge, that is a ludicrous rate of efforts on goal.
Duran’s customary speculative shots from distance have taken on near-pantomime levels of fun, but there is a serious point to the selection of his efforts on goal.
Finishes from outside the box against Everton, Bayern Munich and Liverpool will do no harm to the highlights reel, but poacher finishes between the width of the posts are a significantly more sustainable source of goals. Cue his most significant contribution against Bologna.
Duran used his strength excellently to hold off international team-mate Jhon Lucumi, getting his body in front before delicately redirecting the ball from Rogers’ cross into the far corner.
That finish was his first shot inside the six-yard box this season, showing just how sporadic his efforts have been. From the start of last season, his nine Premier League goals from 4.5 expected goals (xG) is a rate of overperformance that even the best strikers in the world cannot maintain.
Close-range shots will be where Duran can really show his quality.
“He was awesome,” Emery said after the game. “It is always more difficult to start a match when the opposition is fresh and full of energy.”
“Maybe he was looking to the sidelines before he scored the goal (where Watkins was waiting to enter the field), but it is good to manage our strikers, individually and by playing both together — which we have done and will do more.”
Questions will continue to be asked whether Duran and Watkins can successfully play together, but you could argue that they are already working in partnership — just not always on the pitch at the same time.
Watkins has primarily been the one to tire opposition centre-backs before Duran knocks them down, but the reverse situation could be just as potent when Emery wants to rotate his starting cast. Games are coming thick and fast, and it would not be surprising to see more rotation at the top end of the field as Villa look to maintain their strong opening to the season.
From the high of scoring to the immediate frustration of being substituted, Duran’s team-mates have learned to take the rough with the smooth in his company. After the adulation for his goal and a standing ovation from the Aston Villa faithful as he departed, Duran was visibly annoyed at being taken off and took his frustrations out on the home bench.
Jhon Durán went through ALL the emotions after coming off 🤣 pic.twitter.com/2vhC4gnRJh
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 22, 2024
All was forgiven by full time, though, with Duran waving to his loved ones in the stands as he walked towards the tunnel, blowing kisses with one hand and holding the official UEFA player of the match award with the other.
You cannot keep the man away from the spotlight. It is an emotional rollercoaster with Duran around, but one worth riding as Aston Villa maintain their perfect start in the Champions League.
(Top photo: Aston Villa/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
