The tireless midfielder played the entire 90 minutes of all the 37 matches he featured in the 20/21 campaign of the Premier League, helping his team achieve the 11th position in the table. A huge improvement from the previous season where they barely edged past the relegation zone. With no considerable stats to make him stand out from the other top players of the league, what makes McGinn's an irreplaceable presence in the middle of the field for The Villas?
McGinn joined Aston Villa from Hibernian for a reported sum of €3.10 million, registering himself as regular first-team personnel from the very start of his Aston Villa career. Since then, the deep-lying midfielder has featured 111 times for the club in all competitions.
McGinn has a pass completion rate of 77% in the league, less than impressive for a deep-lying midfielder in this level of football. His aerial weakness has also stuck out a lot of times in the matches. But this is where the criticism ends for the Scottish International. His presence in the midfield of Aston Villa gives a proper balance to the team, giving his midfield partner Marvelous Nakamba more freedom to exploit the wide areas of the field in order to stretch the formation while assuring Jack Grealish move into the channels to find deadly chances as well as draw out fouls in dangerous positions.
Playing under the wings of Dean Smith, he played mostly in a pivot role, dominating the central areas of the pitch and sniffing out chances to play long balls. McGinn tends to stay back all the time when his team is in the attack and quickly tries to defuse the opposition counter-attacks from midfield with high-intensity pressing. His good balance on top of his exceptional work rate and stamina means that he can play tirelessly all day without losing much concentration at the end of the halves. McGinn's technical ability on the ball also helps Aston Villa in jump-starting the attack with frequent long passes as the midfielder attempted 349 long passes this season, seeing a 65% success rate in finding a teammate at the end of the line. This tendency to play a lot of long balls in the opposition area is also a great factor behind his pass completion rate being lower than average midfielders in the league.
But an average of 3.3 accurate long passes per game lists him 6th out of all the midfielder who played over 30 matches this season, playing in the central position of the field.
Standing at 5'8''(1.78 meters) height, the midfielder has no problems holding his ground in the toughest of situations, thanks to his endomorphic body shape that sees him have a good center of gravity, good balance to stay on his feet. McGinn also possesses a good tendency to dribble past his opponent, much like his long-range passes. The midfielder managed to successfully dribble past his opponents about 1.4 times a match this season, the second-most of all the center midfielders playing over 30 matches in the 20/21 campaign.
McGinn tends to apply pressure to the opponents up the pitch once his side manages to recover their defensive ground, showcasing his physical element of the game more often in winning the ball and playing it back to the attacking wide players on the pitch. His resolute personality helps him add additional drive to his game, not backing down from strong challenges.
Another fine aspect of McGinn's game is his ability to draw out fouls from the opposition, a total of 77 fouls drawn. The left-footed midfielder is also hugely versatile in the central areas of the pitch. Having the capability to play as a defensive midfielder, as well as joining in the attack as an advanced playmaker. And yet, the most notable part of his game has to be the number of key passes that he attempts. An average of 1.1 key passes per game this season, 5th most of all the center midfielders who played above 30 matches this season.
Missing only a match in the season through suspension, the midfielder found himself as the key provider for the team and vital for his side after the injury of Jack Grealish in the middle of the season.
Rather than dictating the tempo of the game, McGinn is highly suited for teams that play high-energy, high-tempo games with direct passing, giving opposition less time to settle down defensively with a constant barrage of long balls. Sitting deep, drawing out the opposition and leaving them vulnerable in counter-attacks with long balls. His massive stamina aided with his impressive work rate and aggression helps him to play the entire 90 minutes with consistent intensity and concentration. He is natural in more than a couple of positions as the versatile midfielder also played as a right attacking forward this season.
Overall, not the most eye-catching player on the pitch, McGinn is neither the one to lead the stats board. But there should be little doubt about his quality on and off the ball. He has been key to the success of the Aston Villa side for the last few years and saw his side climb up to a near-top-half finish last season. His importance to a midfield three was yet proved again as Machester United has shown interest in the midfielder, to which, Aston Villa demanded a transfer sum of €58 million according to some reports back in 2020. This year though, in the transfer market affected by COVID, Villa will have to be wary of their demands as rumors claim that the midfielder asked the club to complete the ManUtd transfer.
Reports suggest that Manchester United is keen to play the midfielder alongside his fellow countrymen, Scott McTominay. Although, it's more likely that the midfielder will have to be happy with a rotation role in a midfield packed with players by the likes of Pogba, Matic, Fred, and the last year's signing, Van de Beek.
Only in his late 26, the Scottish International is about to hit his prime years and will be vital for most of the Premier League sides prior to his quality. He is one of the star players on his international side as the midfielder already has 34 appearances for the Scotland National Team.
Aston Villa fans will be eager to see his performance closely next season as the Villains are looking forward to continuing on their recent success in the league. Will John be a part of the future squad? Or will a move to a bigger club is in waiting for the Scottish Midfielder?
Also try my recent post:
Post a Comment