Ipswich vs Aston Villa: What Jhon Duran needs to do to shake the super-sub tag

 

Raw goalscoring instinct, pure ball-striking technique and sharp elbows: Jhon Duran is taking the Premier League by storm in a way that’s truly unique to his cause. 

 

Not since Marcelo raided the wings of the Santiago Bernabeu, marching exclusively to the beat of his own drum, has football seen such a chaotic soul take centre stage. Duran is everything you want from an impact substitute, capable of turning a game on its head and winning it for you. 

 

Ipswich vs Aston Villa: What Jhon Duran needs to do to shake the super-sub tag

 

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He is directly responsible for nine of Aston Villa’s 12 points so far this season, scoring winners off the bench against West Ham, Leicester City and Everton. His strike against the latter was absolutely outrageous, a bending 40-yard howitzer that won’t just win Goal of the Month - it’ll probably win Goal of the Season. He also iced a 3-1 win over Wolves last weekend with the third and final goal. 

 

His disallowed goal in the Champions League - a remarkable, bending grass-cutter - showcased a ball-striking prowess few can dream of. A week later, he missed a one-on-one against League One side Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup. The duality of man. 

 

By its most literal definition, he has been Aston Villa’s most impactful and most valuable player this season. Take a step back from games and you’ll see that’s not the case - Youri Tielemans has run the show from midfield, while Morgan Rogers has enchanted viewers of all persuasions - but when Villa need a goal to win a game, they turn to Duran and he obliges. 

 

 

He has five goals in just 252 minutes across three competitions. His nine all-time Premier League goals from 721 minutes mean he scores, on average, every 80.1 minutes - only Erling Haaland’s ratio is better. He finished last season with an equal number of goals and yellow cards (5), seeming about as likely to score an overhead kick as he was to accidentally elbow someone in the head.  

 

Those numbers, naturally, are a bit funky and a bit skewed given he rarely starts games, but it does make clear the sheer impact he can make in short cameos: It’s a whirlwind experience you simply cannot take your eyes off. 

 

There may be no better super-sub in world football right now, but while Unai Emery will cherish such a presence and an option, Duran likely hates it. Super-sub forwards have rarely taken kindly to being regarded as such; Olivier Giroud was the poster boy of this complex, but many others, such as Divock Origi and Javier Hernandez, have struggled against the tag. Perhaps only Ole Gunnar Solskjaer relished it.  

 

 

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Villa will soon need to find a way to work Duran into the starting XI, on the understanding that a) he needs to play, as he’s a talent well worth keeping happy, and b) Ollie Watkins cannot realistically start 50-plus games of football this season. But in order for Emery to feel comfortable swapping them, Duran must learn the finer details of holdup play: When and how to lead the press, how to retain possession under pressure better and how to slow things down. All of this rails against his natural instincts, but it’s key to the manager’s style, so something must give.

 

Perhaps, with Bayern Munich and Manchester United on the horizon, this weekend against Ipswich Town is an opportunity for Duran to start. If not, a run of Fulham, Bologna and AFC Bournemouth in October may offer a window. Even if he starts none of them, his chaotic impact from the bench is assured. After all, the angrier he gets, the harder he hits the ball.

Ipswich vs Aston Villa: What Jhon Duran needs to do to shake the super-sub tag