An impressive statistic shows why Unai Emery must reward one of his ‘special’ Aston Villa players with a rare start against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Aston Villa close the curtain on their Premier League campaign with a trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
It’s been a hugely successful season for the Villans who have qualified for the 2024/25 Champions League and reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
Villa can let their hair down when they travel to Selhurst Park knowing there’s no added pressure on the occasion, but perhaps a few sore heads after celebrating a top-four finish in midweek.
Unai Emery’s men face a Palace side who have won five of their last six matches in all competitions, including successes over Liverpool and Manchester United.
Emery may use this fixture with nothing riding on it as a rare opportunity to experiment by rewarding Jhon Duran with a rare start after he netted a brace against Liverpool in midweek.
Why Jhon Duran deserves to start vs Crystal Palace
Duran continued his role as a chaotic super sub against Liverpool on Monday, scoring twice late on to secure his side a 3-3 draw.
The 20-year-old has endured a mixed campaign in claret and blue. He’s found regular starts to come by due to the irrepressible Ollie Watkins and in turn, has struggled to find a rhythm.
More recently, though, the powerful forward has started to show his potential as an unstoppable force at the centre of Villa’s attack, with his two well-taken goals against the Reds a true sign of his potential.
Emery lauded his performance to salvage a point as “special”, saying: “Jhon Duran is a special player. We have to try and help him. He is a good guy, and he needs a team behind him.”
When in full throttle, the talented Colombian is a nuisance to play against and he can bully defenders with his searing pace and unrelenting power.
It’s those attributes – combined with his ruthless finishing – that should reward him with only his third top-flight start of the campaign.
Jhon Duran is outperforming Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe for one stat
As briefly mentioned, Duran is clinical when opportunities come his way, outperforming his xG by 3.09.
It evinces that the towering Colombian is efficient in front of goal and he has to be when challenging Watkins for a spot in the side.
Duran’s clinical edge is also demonstrated by how his minute-to-goal ratio stands tall against Europe’s elite
According to OptaJose, the Villa striker has scored a goal once every 74.4 minutes in the Premier League.
Remarkably, he’s bettering two of the best goal-scorers on the planet, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, who score every 78.9 and 79.9 minutes.
This underscores his potential as a fine striker whom Villa should keep beyond this summer, as while Chelsea have shown interest, Duran can become the heir to Watkins’ throne once he departs.
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