Zion Suzuki has come under new scrutiny following a challenging evening for the Aston Villa shot-stopper.
A frustrating match saw Suzuki make an error to gift Barcelona an early goal through João Gomes as Villa lost 3-0 at the Camp Nou on Tuesday afternoon, before Raphinha scored twice after the break.
Suzuki’s performance was in line with his personal target in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Fulham, but he will be under pressure to respond when Villa resume their Premier League campaign against Manchester United.
Suzuki’s distribution creates problems for Villa
A lack of control in possession led Villa to only win 35% of the ball against Barcelona. However, distribution from Suzuki was an issue for Villa.
The 24-year-old lost the ball when passing nine times out of 36, and his long balls were only accurate 43% of the time. This made it difficult for Emery’s side to progress up the pitch.
Suzuki put in a mixed performance, making five saves. He received a 6.6 from FotMob and left with a -0.07 goals prevented.
He played a key part in allowing Barcelona to score their first goal. His pass to Gomes put him under pressure, which meant Barcelona could win back the ball in a dangerous area. Yamal took advantage of this.
Although Villa were always likely to be under pressure for long periods of time, their inability to play through the opposition made it even harder.
Warnock questions Suzuki’s decision-making
The Suzuki brand has to be aware of the occasions when playing out of the back can be too risky, according to ex-England defender Stephen Warnock.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Warnock criticised the decision-making of the goalkeeper as he attempted to play the ball to the midfield even under pressure.
He admitted that Suzuki was talented with the ball, although he believes sometimes confidence becomes an issue. His opinion was that Villa must have cleared the ball against Barcelona instead of inviting pressure.
The criticism comes after another expensive error against Fulham. A misplaced clearance from a corner by Alex Iwobi led to an own goal and Villa losing two points in the Premier League.
While these errors may not take away from the reasons why Villa signed Suzuki, it does point to an area which needs to be worked on as he gets used to playing in English football.
Manchester United provides immediate opportunity to respond
Unai Emery now needs to figure out how to solve Villa’s issues on the ball. He has always supported his preferred style of play, despite individual errors.
But Barcelona showed that Villa can get into trouble by continuing to play short passes under an aggressive press. The goalkeeper and defenders will need to be more decisive to compete with the strongest sides.
Suzuki will have little chance to reflect on his performance as Villa head to Old Trafford on Sunday to play Manchester United in their next Premier League game.
The game will give him a chance to regain some confidence and show what he can bring to the team. However, Emery will need a much more assured performance from him to avoid another difficult afternoon.
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