Aston Villa’s Frédéric Guilbert: ‘I was told I’d be a third-rate player, at best’

01 November 2019 11:59
The Frenchman on leaving home aged 11, his tackling prowess and why Sterling is tougher to deal with than Mbappé or Neymar“Everything about me being here is improbable,” says Frédéric Guilbert, the French defender who has won rave reviews since arriving at Aston Villa in the summer. As he chats at Villa’s training ground in the run-up to Saturday’s Premier League joust with Liverpool, the right-back who is likely be tasked with subduing Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah & co describes how he got to this point despite – and partly because of – a series of mishaps and misjudgments.But first let us address the fact that in one respect there is nothing surprising about this 24-year-old taking on the European champions. He, after all, has conquered the continent himself. Any analyst could tell you that. He has been a favourite of statisticians since the 2017-18 season when, as a player at Caen, he won more tackles than any other defender in the five main European leagues and ranked second for interceptions. He has been Villa’s most prolific tackler and interceptor despite missing the first two games. Those qualities, along with his forward dashes and crosses, are what make him so exciting to watch. Related: Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend Continue readingreadfullarticle

Source: TheGuardian