OPINION
Aston Villa midfielder Glenn Whelan deserves the spotlight ahead of Jack Grealish as it’s clear the 35-year-old ran the show in his side’s 4-0 win over Derby County on Saturday.
The experienced midfielder has had a mixed season regarding his form so far, but against Derby he was at his very best.
Whelan seemed to dominate the midfield battle and appeared to pop up all over the pitch in order to aid his side going forward as well as cover their defence once the Rams showed signs of threatening.
Aston Villa’s official Twitter account revealed on Monday that Whelan won more aerial duels than any other player on the pitch, nine in total, and made more passes than any other Villans player in Saturday’s clash.
He provided an assist of real quality.
He won more duels than any other player on the pitch (9).
He helped to dictate the tempo of the game by making more passes than any other #AVFC player (66).
Whelo's performance = ? pic.twitter.com/BX8jjKJAvA
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) March 4, 2019
The impressive stat regarding the sixty-six passes Whelan made during the match shows how critical he was to his side and that he was the one pulling the strings in what was a slump-busting victory.
Yet while many Villans supporters probably noticed Whelan’s efforts, it’s his teammate Grealish who seems to have gained all the headlines and is being adored instead.
The 23-year-old playmaker returned to Dean Smith’s side after being missing for a few weeks and did wow by all accounts.
In particular Grealish’s picture-perfect-goal against the Rams was worthy of any highlight reel and there are probably still a few jaws dropping upon watching it.
However due to the midfielder’s goal being so stunning and the fact it was a surprise to see him able to hit the ground running after a few weeks out, this has seen him get the majority of everyone’s praise.
While Grealish does deserve plaudits, on this occasion Whelan really does deserve the spotlight ahead of his adored teammate as without him then the result against Derby may not have been so positive.