𝕃𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝔹𝕠𝕘𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕒 𝕓𝕣𝕦𝕥𝕒𝕝 𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕚 𝕋𝕚𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝕤𝕖𝕥𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜

Lamare Bogarde warning sent after Youri Tielemans setback

Lamare Bogarde has enjoyed extra responsibility in the Aston Villa midfield in the last month

Lamare Bogarde’s impressive start to the season has been one of the bright spots in Aston Villa’s campaign so far

The versatile midfielder, who can also play at centre-back and right-back, started the club’s last two Premier League matches against Burnley and Fulham.

Playing in the double pivot during those games, he misplaced just two of the 84 passes he attempted, and has recorded a passing accuracy of 95.7% across the eight appearances he has made this season in all competitions.

After impressing Unai Emery during pre-season in the summer of 2024, the 21-year-old was given the chance to compete for a first-team spot last season, featuring in 16 matches, including four in the Champions League.

Bogarde has seized the opportunity to shine this season following injuries to both Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans, while Ross Barkley has been dealing with a personal issue.

Midfield is an area where Emery has significant depth, but Bogarde’s maturity is evident in his ability to step into the shoes of more senior, experienced, and fully-fledged international players.

On Claret & Blue, Villa correspondent John Townley discussed why injuries rarely pose a major problem for Emery and highlighted Bogarde’s continued progress under the manager.

It really adds to his character, and to Villa’s mentality of ‘no excuses’. There’s no limit to our dreams — apart from the financial ones, of course.

Bogarde has seized the opportunity to shine this season following injuries to both Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans, while Ross Barkley has been dealing with a personal issue.

Midfield is an area where Emery has significant depth, but Bogarde’s maturity is evident in his ability to step into the shoes of more senior, experienced, and fully-fledged international players.

On Claret & Blue, Villa correspondent John Townley discussed why injuries rarely pose a major problem for Emery and highlighted Bogarde’s continued progress under the manager.

That said, Villa do have a deep squad. We’ve spent a fair bit of money before this summer, and when you’re in Europe, you obviously need and have access to a bigger, deeper squad. That’s why it’s always Villa’s goal to qualify for Europe — you can’t promise players game time unless you actually have those extra games to rotate them in.

“If you look at Villa’s midfield options, there’s Tielemans, Barkley, McGinn, Kamara, Bogarde. It’s interesting with Tielemans. He’s had a bit of a setback with injury, but no one’s panicking too much. He was player of the season last year and is such a good player, but now Bogarde’s stepping up and showing he can fill a gap.

“I think we have to be careful with expectations for Bogarde. He’s had a couple of fantastic games — Fulham and Burnley, both at Villa Park — and he’s been around the first-team before, earning his stripes. He’s still young and inexperienced, but he’s ready to play a part. Whether that’s a key role this season remains to be seen, but let’s not put too much pressure on him. Let him settle into the team.

“As for injuries — they’re part of football. Every manager knows that. Emery’s not the type to want injuries just to prove he can handle them, but he is adaptable. He’s willing to move players around and keep that sense of togetherness: “We’ve lost X, we’ve lost Y, but we’ll deal with it by sticking together and working hard.

“Tactically, Villa rarely deviate out of possession. When Emery first came in, we sometimes played with five at the back — even looked like seven at times — but usually it’s a 4-4-2. Every player knows their role out of possession, whether they’re starting or coming on as a sub.

“So when injuries happen, it’s not a massive disruption. Apart from maybe losing Ollie Watkins or one or two others, I don’t think it’s a major issue. With this Villa team, the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.”