Robinson worried by what he’s seen from Luiz at Aston Villa after embarrassing reveal
Jack Grealish’s absence is not the sole reason for Aston Villa struggling in the Premier League of late, according to Paul Robinson.
The former England number one, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed Villa’s drop-off can also be attributed to the “poor performance” of Douglas Luiz.
The 22-year-old gave the ball away 15 times against Wolves on Friday night, with seven of those losses in his own half – his worst statistical showing of this season. (Wyscout)
The Brazil international also won just 25 per cent of his aerial duels, as Dean Smith’s side shared a goalless draw with the Wanderers at Villa Park.
Villa have won just one of their last five league games, with Grealish sidelined for four of those fixtures.
When asked for his assessment of Villa’s troubles, Robinson told Football Insider:
“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.”
In other news, Aston Villa told to seal ‘bargain’ signing by a top pundit after a major update on Ross Barkley.