Aston Villa’s disappointing run in the Premier League continued with a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday night.
Dean Smith’s side are now winless in their last four in the top flight, and goals from Carlos Vinicius and Harry Kane were enough to consign Villa to yet another damaging result in their hunt for a European place for next season.
One man who really let his manager down was Trezeguet.
Is Trezeguet good enough for Villa?
Yes!
No!
As per Sofascore, the Egyptian lost 15 of his total 20 duels on the night, which was a real indication of how much he struggled to get past right-back Japhet Tanganga.
The Spurs man’s experience of playing in the centre of defence saw him easily outmuscle the Egyptian in those one-on-one contests down the flank, and the Villa winger’s lack of real conviction told a big story of his struggles.
He managed to complete just one dribble, which was a third of what Bertrand Traore managed on the opposite flank despite being hooked at the one hour mark at Villa Park.
The £9m-rated Trezeguet just couldn’t get himself involved enough, which meant it was no surprise that he managed just ten successful passes in the time that he was on the pitch – the fewest of any Villa starter and even fewer than goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Writing in his post-match player ratings for the Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave the winger the joint-lowest score of three, noting: “Had a first half to forget. The Egyptian miscontrolled almost everything that came his way. Trezeguet was offside on a couple of occasions. He was picked out well by Sanson after the break but, again, he lacked conviction once more with the winger without a goal all season which dates back to his strike against Arsenal in July 2020.
“Just not understanding what Trezeguet brings to the team of late. Struggling in terms of quality, for me, and should be out of the team after the international break.”
With no goals in the Premier League whatsoever this season, and just the one assist, it’s hard to see what Trezeguet is bringing to the team in terms of the top end of the pitch.
It’s all well and good being a hard-working winger who won’t shirk defensive responsibilities, but offering that crucial goal threat at the other end is surely why he’s being picked in the team.
Smith simply has to drop him from the starting line-up after yet another shocking display.
Meanwhile, Villa are surely ruing this January call…