As Aston Villa were unable to create against Club America, Douglas Luiz showed his former side what they’re missing.
Aston Villa supporters in the United States were unable to see their club record a victory during their pre-season tour.
Unai Emery’s side suffered three defeats in their three friendlies in the States, where only one goal was scored.
On Saturday, Villa ended the tour with a 1-0 loss to Club America, which saw the squad struggle to threaten the Mexican club’s defence.
Villa’s result was made even more frustrating as one former star creator shone on his debut.
Douglas Luiz impressed on his Juventus debut as Aston Villa struggled against Club America
One of the lows of the summer was the departure of Douglas Luiz, who ended his five-year association with Villa to join Juventus.
Following his time at Copa America, the Brazilian joined his new teammates for pre-season, where he made his debut on Saturday.
Juventus secured a 2-2 draw against Brest as Luiz was handed a 28 minute cameo for his debut, taking no time to impress his new side.
The 26-year-old recorded an assist and showcased his vast passing range from midfield, something that Villa could have used in their duel against Club America.
The primary concern from Villa’s defeat was the lack of chances created throughout the contest, as a quality spark was missing and a Luiz-shaped void became more evident.
Unai Emery is seeing how difficult it is to replace Luiz
While Villa were at a point where their hands were tied when it came to offloading Luiz, Emery is quickly finding out how much his squad will miss the midfielder.
The Brazilian handed the club the funds required to help to ease their PSR concerns although, he took with him the unique quality he offered to the XI.
Replacing Luiz isn’t a case of signing a new defensive midfielder, or even signing a new attacking midfielder, as his profile was so pivotal to how Emery’s side play.
Such was evident against Club America, as Villa looked disjointed between attack and defence, with a midfield full of quality but scarce of creative outlet.
Seeing what Luiz did on his debut for Juventus only reinforced how far the gap is between Villa’s fluidity in transition with and without the Brazil international.
The early indications suggest that it’s going to take a lot more than just work in the transfer market to replace Luiz, whose ability is a huge loss to Villa ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
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