Unai Emery demands MORE from Douglas Luiz despite the midfielder earning a first Brazil recall since 2021 as Aston Villa gear up for Conference League clash with AZ Alkmaar
- Douglas Luiz has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League so far
- Aston Villa boss Unai Emery suggested that he can take more ‘responsibility’
- Chris Sutton tells all on the hardest day of his career – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off
Unai Emery delivered an insight into his unforgiving mentality by demanding even more from Aston Villa’s star player Douglas Luiz.
Luiz has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League this season and has earned a recall to the Brazil squad for the first time since 2021 thanks to his outstanding performances.
Yet as well congratulating the 25-year-old for his international recognition, Emery called for an improvement ahead of Villa’s Europa Conference League clash with AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.
‘I am very happy for him but I am also demanding with him,’ said Emery. ‘He is playing more consistently at home than away. I was speaking with him and told him he is very important for us but I also said: “You can do more. I am going to try and push you to do more.”
‘I think he can take more responsibility in our build-up. Of course he is scoring a lot of goals but he can add more assists.
Unai Emery has called for more from Douglas Luiz despite the midfielder’s stunning start to the campaign
The Brazilian midfielder has been one of the star performers in the Premier League this term
Aston Villa secured a stunning 4-1 win over AZ Alkmaar last time out in the Netherlands
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‘When we lost at Nottingham Forest last Sunday, I was waiting for him to do more on the ball. The matches we played at Wolves and Alkmaar were other examples of this. Every day in our meetings I am being demanding with everyone.’
Meanwhile, Nicolo Zaniolo will learn on Friday whether he has retained his place in the Italy squad amid the illegal betting scandal that has shaken Italian football.
Zaniolo and Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali departed the Italy training camp last month and missed their Euro 2024 qualifiers, and both have been questioned by investigators, with Tonali receiving a 10-month suspension.
Villa are cautiously optimistic that Zaniolo will receive no more than a fine. Speaking last month, his legal representatives said: ‘No evidence has emerged against him regarding the possibility of betting on football matches.
‘He acknowledged that he had occasionally played poker and blackjack on illegal platforms. We are confident our client’s legal case will be concluded soon.’
Speaking after the 2-0 defeat at Forest, where Zaniolo was substituted at half-time for the second match in a row, Emery said: ‘In terms of the individual circumstances and his mind, he has to try to be 100 per cent free to try to play and we are trying to do it (help him).’
Nicolo Zaniolo will find out on Friday if he has retained his place in the Italian national team
Italian football has been shaken by an illegal betting scandal that has scene Sandro Tonali suspended for 10 months
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