This didn’t take very long at all.
The young American central defender Matt Miazga, who recently joined Chelsea on a transfer from New York Red Bulls, will get a start in a Premier League game on Saturday against Aston Villa.
It’s important to put this in context. This is more-or-less a lost season for Chelsea, and with no real fears of relegation and no real chance for a spot in Europe, it frees up coach Guus Hiddink to try some things … some things like throwing a 20-year-old American in the center of defense and seeing how he handles the pressure. It should also be noted that Aston Villa currently sits in dead last in the Premier League and has won three games all season.
That being said, it’s still Chelsea — one of the richest clubs in the world — and it’s still a Premier League start for a 20-year-old. I don’t care what country you’re from, that’s big.
We’ll keep you updated on his performance as it goes.
UPDATE:
Miazga looked good! Aston Villa’s attack was anemic but the youngster looked comfortable on the ball, held his positioning A-OK and didn’t get beat badly at any point.
