With the bulk of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Manager’s line-ups exuding a certain familiarity – the likes of Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez occupying the forward positions and Gareth Bale, Nani, Rafael Van der Vaart and Samir Nasri all midfield staples – it is this time of the season, with around 14 Gameweeks remaining, that Managers are crying out for a key ‘differential’ to give them the edge over their rivals.
Having understandably been neglected by the FPL masses so far this season, Villa have had a change in fortunes having just recorded their first back-to-back Premier League victories of the season with convincing wins over Manchester City and Wigan. Ashley Young, also the subject of last week’s Technical Area, has played a pivotal role in this. With a current FPL ownership of 4.1% compared to the likes of Van der Vaart (36.9%) and Nani (42.5%), Young could be that key differential.
Gerard Houllier’s recent tactics seems to be paying dividends for the side. The Manchester City victory saw Darren Bent as a lone striker, supported by an attacking midfield three of Gabriel Agbonlahor on the left, Ashley Young in the centre and Albrighton on the right with Stewart Downing dropping back into a deeper central midfield two alongside Stiliyan Petrov. Then, against Wigan, Houllier shifted things around slightly, with Downing moving to the right flank and Nigel Reo-Coker and new signing Jean Makoun taking up the deeper midfield positions.
In the absence of Petrov for the victory over Wigan, Young captained the side and Houllier thinks this boosted his performance:
“He was good. I think he’s proud of being the captain, but when you’re the captain there’s more responsibility. I took him off just because first of all he’s given everything. Ashley is one of the players who covers more ground every game.”
Young’s position just behind Bent therefore seems cemented in Houllier’s plans and it is a role that brings out the best in the player; in his last two outings he has recorded 16 FPL points including a goal, an assist and 3 bonus points. With a current FPL valuation of £8.1 million he is certainly a luxurious asset but after Villa play Manchester United in Gameweek 25, their run of fixtures (FUL, blp, BLA, bol, WOL, eve) are all certainly winnable, especially those at home, and games in which you would expect Young to score highly.
