After pulling HIJS of admiration for his skills shown during the debut against Tottenham, a series of almost -missers against Ipswich and an introduction to the intensity of the Premier League against Liverpool, Marco Asensio had his big moment against Chelsea.
The signing of the loan from Aston Villa scored both goals in a victory of De Kom and showed why he has the quality to raise this ambitious club to new heights under Unai Emery in the coming months. It is important that this serial winner wants to embrace the challenge.
“I am happy,” Asensio tells Sky Sports. “Happy to become a member of the project, to be with my teammates and staff and grateful to be able to give the fans a lot of fun. I want to help us achieve the goals we have collective, as a team and a club. “
It is another responsibility that the Spain International has at Villa. His career started in Mallorca and held a loan period in Espanyol, but for the best part of a decade this is a player surrounded by stars in Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Asensio calls Cristiano Ronaldo as the most famous name in his phone and his goal in the UEFA Super Cup 2016 as his favorite strike – not bad if there is also one in a Champions League final to choose from. Now he is ready to embrace a leading role.
“Sometimes it comes with age,” he explains. “I have always been the youngest in the teams and now it is up to me, being the veteran, to take on that role. But I have always kept responsibility. I have always been to teams where there is a lot of pressure.
“I am used to playing for teams where every game is important, every three points is important and every game can be the difference in a title race. I have come here to take responsible and lead, in addition to the other great players who Already in the team. “
Emery has been hunting the signature of Asensio for a while and has been given his husband in the third attempt. Partially the 29-year-old playmaker is convinced by the promise to be used in his favorite role, something that does not often come to Madrid or in Paris.
There he was often used from the right and cut inside his left foot. But Asensio sees itself as a Nr.
Why was this so important for Asensio? “Well, in the end it is of course my most natural position,” he explains. “Those among you who have seen me from outside, you have seen me play more from the left or right, with that freedom to come in.
“But this is my natural position, where I started in Mallorca, when I signed for Madrid. It has been one of my personal goals to play in that position because I believe it will help me reach my maximum level in terms of Goals, helps and helps the team.
“It has been the most important factor, an important thing when it comes to coming here. The coach and staff also feel in the same way in terms of what I can offer in that position. For me that is the most important thing because that is true I can reach my full potential. “
The relationship between Asensio and Emery is fascinatingly given their obvious desire to work together. “Unai has been an important piece for me to be here.” What makes it so intriguing is that at first glance there seems to be a potential for problems.
Asensio is a huge talent, which causes creativity in that left foot, but although his attitude has not been questioned, the tracing is not necessarily obvious for him. He had his moments at PSG, but Luis Enrique seemed to think that he was not suitable for pressing.
Off-the-ball work is not negotiable under Emery, a coach who has built up his reputation when organizing. Asensio claimed to have learned how to play without the ball in Espanyol, but that was almost ten years ago. He plays in dominant teams.
Asensio recognizes the logic behind the observation, but offers its own counterpoint. “Yes, but also in many phases at Real Madrid, for example, we were a team that also liked to wait, we liked to play without the ball, we loved the transitions,” he argues.
“In the end it is only styles. Every game is different. I think the style of Unai, when it comes to defending and attacking, fits perfectly with my characteristics. When it comes to defending with a lower block, this does not mean that we are that Do not want to dominate.
“There are many phases of the game we want to dominate. If it's with the ball, all the better. But you also have to meet the defensive aspects of the game, because if you have a good defensive basis, then those are attacking Qualities can always come out. “
He even talks like Emery. Maybe it's those long video sessions. This specific conversation would initially take place earlier in the afternoon, but one of those now famous analysis meetings was added to the diary and the plans were hastily changed.
“Yes, he goes into a little more”, Asensio acknowledges. But it's welcome. “He likes to analyze our games. How is the opponent? What can we improve? What situations in our game are good and which situations should be strengthened?
“He is a coach with a lot of experience. He has been to big clubs, won titles. He helps us show the best way to win. He always gives us the tools so that we can use them on the field, whoever it is Opponent.
The son of a Spanish father who grew up in Germany and a Dutch mother – he is even named after the great Marco van Basten – perhaps Asensio was always destined to take his talents around the continent. “I wanted to try to experience life outside of Spain.”
But Aston Villa? While the new song that is enjoyed on the Holte end, goes, Asensio won the competition in Spain and then went to Paris and did the same. There is no doubt about his ability to conjure up magic, but bringing silverware to the second city would really be a nice trick.
He doesn't exclude it. “I have already won everything at club level with Real Madrid. In Paris I also had the opportunity to win titles.” So what exactly drives him? “This is a new goal, an ambitious project with a coach who wants to win,” he adds.
“He has that mentality and the players have it too, so I am really looking forward to what is left of this season, because I believe there are many important challenges for Aston Villa and we can feel that the support of the fans is there Help us to reach it.
“It is incredible how they support us and encourage us. If you put it all together, the club, coach, players and fans, we believe that we can strive for the maximum year in the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup. “
With Asensio around there can be even more big moments.
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