Zion Suzuki: Japan goalkeeper lays platform for Aston Villa’s victory at Spurs
While Johan Manzambi and Nicolas Jackson both scored, another Aston Villa new boy, Zion Suzuki, deserved as much credit as anyone for their first Premier League win of the season at struggling Tottenham. The Ja...
While Johan Manzambi and Nicolas Jackson both scored, another Aston Villa new boy, Zion Suzuki, deserved as much credit as anyone for their first Premier League win of the season at struggling Tottenham.
The Japan goalkeeper made the move to Villa from Italian side Parma for a fee in the region of £30m in August.
And his performance against Spurs suggests he is more than capable of filling the very big boots vacated by the departure of Argentina number one - and fan favourite - Emiliano Martinez to Chelsea.
In particular, his two saves from Savio within seconds of each other and a moment of good fortune when Archie Gray's effort clipped wide off his foot, gave Villa the platform to ride out a period in the game when the hosts held sway.
"We needed the keeper," said Villa boss Unai Emery in his post-match interviews.
"He is a keeper to save us. To make sure in the goal he has the quality and then he has the skills to play and build up.
"It is very important how he is doing it and sometimes taking some risks, but through those he is improving and learning."
One of the attractions around signing the 24-year-old in August was his apparent assuredness with the ball at his feet and his ability to spray the ball forward with very little backlift.
And on a day when things could not have gone much better for him, Suzuki ended up as the architect of Villa's second goal, with his booming ball forward from his own six-yard box dropping deep into Tottenham territory, where Jackson collected it and dispatched an unerring shot to the left corner.
"In the build up, he can choose to play long balls because he has a very long pass in behind and he did that for the second goal we scored," added Emery.
Born in the United States to a Ghanaian father and a Japanese mother, Suzuki has already played in Japan, Belgium and Italy and won 28 caps for his country.
And speaking to BBC Sport in August, Dennis Rudel - his former coach at Sint-Truiden - stressed that Suzuki has the attributes to become one of the world's best in his position.
"It is possible if he stays healthy," said the former Union Berlin coach. "With his physical strength, there is no-one better in the world in terms of dynamic, jumping power, throws and kicking the ball.
"When I watched him at the World Cup [for Japan], his biggest strength was his mental clearness. His focus on the game or in training sessions is so good. He is always prepared and really disciplined.
"He is aiming to show he can be one of the best. He was immediately one of the top four or five goalkeepers in Serie A.
"As a person and as a player, he is a role model for how you should behave. I don't see any weakness in him."
"He has such big hands and he is powerful. When he can reach the ball, it is a 90-95% chance of a save. It is something really special."