Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) was benched as Aston Villa fell to a 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday – but is there hope for Gameweek 32?
We pick out the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from this UEFA Champions League clash in our latest Scout Notes.
WEDNESDAY’S RESULT
| OPPONENT | RESULT | GOALS | ASSISTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | v Paris Saint-Germain (a) | 3-1 loss | Rogers | Tielemans |
TEAM SELECTION/ROTATION
| STARTING XI CHANGES FROM THEIR LAST MATCH | PLAYERS WHO KEPT THEIR PLACES (MINS) | OTHER MINS FOR SELECTED PLAYERS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | 8 | Martinez (90), Tielemans (80), Rogers (90) | Cash (45), Konsa (90), Pau (90), Digne (90), Kamara (90), McGinn (80), Ramsey (59), Rashford (79), Disasi (45), Maatsen (10), Asensio (31), Onana (10), Watkins (11) |
WATKINS BENCHED – BUT HOPE FOR GAMEWEEK 32?
Unai Emery made eight changes to his starting XI in Paris, and we can surely expect more to come in Gameweek 32, with Aston Villa’s Wednesday-Saturday-Tuesday turnaround further amplifying the threat of rotation.
The Spaniard selected the same XI that started Villa’s 3-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion in Gameweek 30.
It meant Marcus Rashford (£6.7m) got the nod over Watkins, with the on-loan Manchester United man deployed as Villa’s lone striker.
Rashford provided the pre-assist for Morgan Rogers’ (£5.6m) opener and used his pace and directness to good effect, but his impact diminished after the break and he was eventually subbed off for Watkins with 11 minutes remaining.
It raises the prospect of a start for Watkins against Southampton on Saturday.
It’s far from certain, but you’d think Marco Asensio (£6.2m) gets the nod at St Mary’s, too.
John McGinn (£5.2m) was one of Villa’s best players in a number 10 role here, with his physicality against Vitinha and Joao Neves, plus his ability to drag his team up the pitch, key. Those attributes will surely be required again on Tuesday, potentially leaving a spot open for Asensio in Gameweek 32.
Don’t be surprised if the Spaniard has his minutes managed, however, given that he’ll still have a big part to play on Tuesday, even if it is an impact sub.
Other likely starters against Southampton include Donyell Malen (£5.3m), who isn’t registered in Villa’s Champions League squad, and Jacob Ramsey (£5.4m), who didn’t start in Gameweek 31 and was hooked just before the hour mark in Paris.
As for Rogers, he hasn’t been benched in the Premier League all season, but if there is ever a game to rest him, it’s surely against Southampton.
Above: A potential Aston Villa starting XI v Southampton in Gameweek 32
VILLA OUTCLASSED IN PARIS
It was always going to be a tough task for Villa, given PSG’s quality.
Indeed, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were almost unplayable at times, forcing Emery to replace Matty Cash (£4.4m), who had been booked, with Axel Disasi (£4.2m) at half-time.
It was a largely well-organised performance by Villa, however, something we’ve seen more of in recent weeks, and they did pose a threat of their own when presented with opportunities on the counter-attack.
Rogers put Villa in front, notching his 14th goal of the season in all competitions, when he tucked home from close range after being played in by Youri Tielemans (£5.5m).
The 19.7% midfielder racked up three shots in total, the most of any Villa player.
There was one tame second-half effort by Asensio, too, but Villa’s approach was to absorb pressure and counter quickly, which did end up restricting their attacking threat
Unai Emery remains confident his side can bounce back at Villa Park next week, however.
“More or less, the expectation I had before the match in 90 minutes happened. The result – 2-1 or 3-1 – is not too different because we have the chance at home next week, with it still being a huge challenge for us, but we can feel strong at home with our supporters in Villa Park.
“The match we played today, we needed to adapt to them being strong defensively, playing a very serious match defensively, disciplined, lower than normal. Even when we were losing 2-1 we had three approaches in their box – two shots from Morgan Rogers and one from Marco Asensio.“The last goal we conceded we have to accept it and, in our mind, it’s not changing a lot because we have to win at home now and we have to score more than one goal. They will still be a team that likes to make passes, keeping ball possession and trying to dominate. Today we were in medium and low block defending and maybe at home we can change. We can try to have more moments, keeping ball possession and trying to dominate.
“The match we played here we’re going to extend and we’re going to try to get opportunities to come back the result. We believe in our supporters, we believe in Villa Park and we believe in our players to get their best performances next week.” – Unai Emery
