After Morgan Rogers was sold to Chelsea for £117m, becoming the most expensive British player ever, the question was how will Aston Villa look to replace their attacking star.
After an impressive season for Freiburg, followed by some impressive World Cup performances for Switzerland, Manzambi was the gamble to fill the boots of Villa’s record sale.
But the truth is, for those who have been watching Manzambi, it wasn’t much of a gamble at all.
Since joining the club this summer and missing the first few games of the season due to injury, Manzambi has already managed to hit the ground running.
The 21-year-old has already scored twice in the Premier League, also providing two assists in just four appearances.
When comparing the early data of Manzambi in the Premier League for Aston Villa with last seasons Rogers data, the young Swiss star comes out on top in plenty of areas.
So far this season, Manzambi is averaging 2.45 shots per 90 minutes, with a 57.14% shot accuracy, converting 14.29% of his shots into goals. By comparison, Rogers was averaging just 1.59 shots per 90 (excluding blocked shots), with a shot accuracy of 55.17% and a conversion rate of 11.9%.
It isn’t just his shot volume and quality in front of goal where Manzambi is currently beating the numbers of Rogers from last campaign, as the Swiss star is also averaging 2.45 chances created per 90, while Rogers only averaged 1.29 chances created per 90 last season.
Manzambi is also averaging more take-ons completed per 90, a higher take-on success rate and more touches in the opposition box, showing just how much threat Manzambi is posing to the opposition, especially compared to Rogers who had an excellent campaign for Villa last season.
Goal threat & creation
Manzambi has slotted straight into the side in the number 10 position, often operating in the right half space, with Emiliano Buendia operating in the left half space, forming Villa’s 4-2-2-2 shape.
The Swiss attacking midfielder has already started to develop a good synergy in the frontline with Nicolas Jackson, especially when the two are attacking larger spaces in transition.
With how Unai Emery wants his side to play, looking to bait the opposition press with their deep build up before accelerating play into their frontline to attack the space that opens up, the players in attack have to be athletic enough to drive or arrive over those larger distances.
This is an area Rogers was pivotal to last season, making it important Villa replaced those qualities in attack for Emery.
Manzambi not only has the power to carry the ball forward himself, but is also an active mover in the final third, making movements beyond and around to offer passing options and support for his teammates.
He also adds plenty of tight space quality in and around the top of the box, having the twinkle toes to dance around players, while constantly looking to combine with his teammates for pass and move opportunities.
When it comes to his goal threat, Manzambi has already shown his willingness to get himself in the box and into dangerous positions this season, scoring three goals so far this season.
His first goal came against Tottenham, arriving in the box and lurking between the two central defenders to provide a tap in from a cutback across the box.
Against Fenerbahce, Manzambi found himself collecting the second ball from a corner on the penalty spot, before smashing it on his left-foot, deflecting past the goalkeeper for his second goal in a Villa shirt.
And his third goal came in Villa’s most recent game against Newcastle, scoring a header while Jackson occupied Malick Thiaw, Manzambi arrived in the gap between the centre-backs to guide it home, scoring the only goal in Villa’s 1-0 win against the Magpies.
Pure footballer
When looking to recruit players, a wise rule of thumb is to look to add players who are capable in different positions and different conditions.
With the tactical landscape always evolving and the Premier League shifting more and more towards man to man pressing, players who are capable of outplaying their direct opponent 1v1 in any area of the pitch are gold dust.
Manzambi is exactly that, a pure footballer who is comfortable in any area of the pitch, whether he’s drifting wide to receive near the touchline, getting the ball on the half turn in central areas between the lines or even dropping deep to help faciliate the build up and connect passes.
One of the biggest reasons for that is Manzambi’s 360 degree awareness, using scans to perceive his surroundings, but also contact through his arms and body to gather more information to outplay his opponent in any area of the pitch.
His press resistance is good because of this, having the strength to retain possession under pressure, but also the creativity and problem solving to find solutions to escape that pressure and wriggle free.
Manzambi has a similar ability with his passing, finding solutions to play through a range of spaces and distances, not conforming to the idea of blocked passing lanes, but instead finding creative ways of accessing those closed off spaces instead.
Players who have this range of abilities are able to adapt to different styles of play, different tactical systems and gamestates, making them highly desirable assets to build around.
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