On-loan midfielder was given a start against
Manchester City despite a desperate shortage of match practiceEvery single footballer in the world aims to be the big-game player who constantly shows up against the champions, but Danny Drinkwater may have taken this all a little too literally. His only start in his wasted half season at Burnley came at the beginning of last month when they were obliterated 4-1 at home to City. His last appearance for Chelsea? Their 2-0 loss to Manchester City in last season’s Community Shield. His last league start for Chelsea? A 1-0 defeat at the Etihad in March 2018. That fact alone should have been a red flag for Dean Smith.
Instead, five days after arriving on loan at Aston Villa, there he was in the starting lineup against the defending champions and for a few short minutes, things were actually going well. Playing from the left of a midfield two, he was handy in the early sterile exchanges as both teams settled into the match. One of his first touches was an interception in the middle of the field, which elicited applause from the home crowd, and he relieved pressure for his new team with a couple of nice, simple passes. He pointed, he yelled, he seemed comfortable in possession.