FPL notes: “Talisman” Cunha + vulnerable Villa

The Gameweek 12 review continues with two more of Saturday’s matches: Fulham 1-4 Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa 2-2 Crystal Palace.

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CUNHA MAGIC

Matheus Cunha (£6.9m) showed his quality at Craven Cottage, scoring two goals and creating another to help see off Fulham.

The first, an excellent dink over Bernd Leno (£5.0m), was followed by a superb curled effort into the top-right corner.

He topped it off with an assist to claim 16 points, his biggest Fantasy Premier League (FPL) haul since the 4-2 win over Chelsea in February.

“He is our talisman. He knows what I think of him – I love him. I love working with him, I love trying to help him get better and the improvements he’s made are just incredible. When I came, there was an undeniable, incredible talent, but somebody that didn’t fully understand how to make it the most effective and we get him in some great spots now.

“The team know how to utilise him, and he’s a great guy. That was probably his best out of possession performance as well. I know I probably drive some people mad talking about out of possession, but it is important to us.

“I know what he’s going to bring with the ball, but today, he fitted very well into our possession structure and led from the front, and brought some unbelievable qualities to the game, and you need it. You can be as well coached and as well organised as you like, but at this level, you do need quality and Matheus brings us that in abundance.” – Gary O’Neil on Matheus Cunha

To further strengthen Gary O’Neil’s ‘talisman’ quote, Cunha has now been directly involved in 28 goals in his past 37 league games, with 18 goals and 10 assists.

He’s also moved to within nine points of Erling Haaland (£15.1m) at the top of the FPL forward standings.

As for Wolves, Molineux was a joyless place after the shambolic 5-3 loss at Brentford in Gameweek 7, but they are starting to turn it around, with eight points from their last four games.

In their last two, they’ve conceded just one goal.

That’s despite lining up with a makeshift backline at Fulham, with Santiago Bueno (£4.3m) and Craig Dawson (£4.4m) absent through injury and illness respectively.

It forced Mario Lemina (£5.0m) into an unfamiliar centre-back role next to Toti Gomes (£4.3m), but the pair coped admirably, giving Fulham little.

As you can see below, Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.8m) was slightly more withdrawn but almost created a tap-in for Jorgen Strand Larsen (£5.6m), who was isolated for much of the game but did at least pick up a late assist for Goncalo Guedes (£5.3m).

FULHAM BRUSHED ASIDE

Fulham have been very solid this season but surprisingly slumped to defeat.

Uncharacteristically out of sorts, Raul Jimenez (£5.7m) really should have opened the scoring (see below), smashing the crossbar when it was easier to score.

Alex Iwobi (£5.6m) later put Fulham in front, producing his third attacking return in four matches. In that period, he’s joint-top at the club for shots (10) and key passes (six).

It was a day to forget for Emile Smith Rowe (£5.8m), however. The playmaker struggled to impose himself on the game, hardly touching the ball before he was hooked just before the hour mark.

Elsewhere, Joachim Andersen (£4.3m) came off with a calf injury, leaving Fulham down to 10 men after Marco Silva had already made five substitutions. It goes some way to explaining the collapse, with two goals conceded late on.

VILLA VULNERABLE IN TRANSITION

Aston Villa twice came from behind to earn a draw against Crystal Palace, but the ease in which Oliver Glasner’s side sliced through them in transition is a concern.

Don’t forget Villa conceded in similar circumstances at Anfield before the international break.

“Yes, it is [a concern]. We are working on it. The players are concerned as well.” – Unai Emery

“I told the guys before that how Villa play fits us perfect. They leave space and we knew we had a 2v1 [Sarr and Munoz] down that side and we always wanted to attack the gaps.” – Oliver Glasner

Next up is a trip to Chelsea, a side who rank third for counter-attack shots under Enzo Maresca.

Elsewhere, it was a quiet afternoon for Morgan Rogers (£5.4m), while Youri Tielemans (£5.5m) had his spot-kick superbly saved by Dean Henderson (£4.4m).

There is also confusion in the full-back spots, with Lamare Bogarde (£4.0m) and Ian Maatsen (£4.7m) preferred to Matty Cash (£4.4m) and Lucas Digne (£4.7m) in Gameweek 12.

Unai Emery can take some positives from the display, however.

Villa racked up 3.45 expected goals (xG) and Ross Barkley (£5.2m) scored for a second successive league game.

Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) was also able to end his five-game goal drought in all competitions. He racked up five shots in the box at Villa Park and looked a threat throughout.

As for Palace, Ismaila Sarr (£5.7m) produced his first goal for the club.

The winger raced away just a few minutes into the match at Villa Park, slotting it past Emiliano Martinez (£5.0m). He later led another counter-attack, teeing up the lively Justin Devenny (£4.5m) to total 13 points.

Overall, Sarr attempted four shots in the box, including two big chances.

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