Johan Manzambi’s remarkable rise continued with another impressive performance for Switzerland, as supporters serenaded the Aston Villa youngster and Murat Yakin called for greater protection following some heavy treatment.
Johan Manzambi's rapid rise for club and country continued on Saturday night as the Aston Villa midfielder produced another eye-catching performance for Switzerland in their 2-1 victory over Slovenia, starting for the third successive game during this international break and completing the full 90 minutes after previously playing 62 minutes against North Macedonia and another 62 against Scotland.
That takes Manzambi to 214 minutes for his country during the current break, which is significant for Villa given how carefully they have had to manage him following his return from injury, although there is also an obvious benefit to him getting competitive football into his legs and building the sharpness that can only really come from playing regularly.
The reaction in Switzerland has again been extremely positive, with Manzambi increasingly being spoken about as somebody capable of giving Murat Yakin's team something different. Swiss broadcaster SRF described him as "umtriebig", essentially lively and constantly involved, after another performance where he was regularly at the centre of Switzerland's attacking play, while Le Temps also picked out his influence and particularly the problems he caused when moving into more central positions after the break.
Perhaps the biggest indication of Manzambi's growing reputation, though, came from the way Slovenia attempted to deal with him rather than anything he actually did with the ball. The Swiss coverage highlighted the physical treatment he received throughout the game, with Manzambi contesting more duels than any other Switzerland player and being fouled on four occasions, before there was a worrying moment towards the end when he stayed down following another challenge.
Given the knee injury which interrupted the start of his Villa season, it was understandable that there was some concern, although Manzambi quickly played down any fears afterwards and insisted everything was fine.
"Thankfully everything is still okay, including my knee," he said.
Manzambi explained that he had expected Slovenia to make the game physical and insisted he no longer thinks about his previous injury once he is playing, but Switzerland manager Yakin was less impressed by some of the treatment the 20-year-old received and suggested officials have a responsibility to offer him greater protection.
"The referees should protect him," Yakin said.
I actually think that tells you quite a lot about how quickly Manzambi's status has changed because he is no longer simply a talented young player being introduced gradually at international level. He is starting games, opponents are increasingly aware of the threat he carries and Slovenia clearly recognised that stopping him from getting into dangerous areas was going to be important if they were going to frustrate Switzerland.
There was even a "Ballon d'Or" chant from sections of the Switzerland support during the game, which gives you another indication of the excitement around him at the moment, although Manzambi admitted afterwards that he hadn't actually heard it because of how focused he becomes once he is on the pitch.
For Villa, what has happened during this international break is probably something of a double-edged sword because Manzambi absolutely needed football after his injury and there is a clear benefit to him getting significant competitive minutes into his legs, particularly when you consider how little football he had been able to play before returning to Emery's team.
Starting three consecutive internationals and now completing a full game should help him build his fitness, rhythm and confidence, while doing it for a Switzerland team where he is clearly being trusted with increasing responsibility should only help his development. From that perspective, Villa will probably be delighted with what they have seen because they are going to get a player back who has had considerably more football than he would have been able to get if he had remained at Bodymoor Heath.
There is, however, another side to it because Villa have only just got Manzambi back from injury and the last thing Emery will want is for a player who could become increasingly important over the next few months to suddenly be overworked immediately after returning. It was reassuring that Switzerland withdrew him after 62 minutes in each of their opening two matches of the break, but Saturday's full 90 takes him beyond 200 minutes and Switzerland still have another game to play against North Macedonia on Tuesday.
You would hope from a Villa perspective that Yakin now uses him sparingly in that final game, particularly because the Switzerland manager himself has already spoken about the need to manage Manzambi's workload and there seems little reason to push him unnecessarily after three successive starts. Villa will obviously understand that Switzerland have their own priorities and Manzambi will want to play whenever he is selected, but there has to be some consideration for the fact he has only recently returned from a significant injury.
It is a slightly unusual position for Villa because there is plenty about this international break which should encourage Emery. Manzambi has gone away, played meaningful minutes, performed well and continued building the momentum we started to see when he returned at club level, while the reaction from Switzerland shows just how quickly his reputation is growing beyond Villa.
We saw against Tottenham what Manzambi can bring to Emery's team and how quickly he can alter the feel of a game, particularly with his ability to carry the ball, play through pressure and make things happen in attacking areas, so there is every reason for Villa to want him getting as much football as possible as he works his way back towards full sharpness.
The balance is making sure that doesn't become too much, too soon, and after 214 minutes across three games already, Villa will probably be quite happy if Manzambi's final involvement of this international break is a much shorter one before he returns to Bodymoor Heath.
