Kicking off our Scout Notes from Saturday’s Gameweek 35 matches, it’s the instantly forgettable lunchtime encounter that was Aston Villa 1-0 Fulham.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 35 round-up: Goals, assists, bonus points + stats
- READ MORE: FPL notes: KDB outdoes Marmoush + why Pep didn’t use Haaland
WATKINS FLUFFS HIS LINES
It was one of those Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) days on Saturday, where nothing went right for the striker.
You can’t really knock his figures in the last two seasons: 34 goals, 25 assists and 398 points since the start of 2023/24.
On occasion, though, he does reveal himself to be not quite the ruthless finisher that the likes of Alexander Isak (£9.6m) and Chris Wood (£7.0m) are.
Spurning two-thirds of his big chances last season, he’s repeating the trick again in 2024/25:
Above: Premier League players sorted by big chances missed in 2024/25
Let’s look at the positives, though. At least he’s getting those gilt-edged opportunities; you’d rather he were in those positions than not.
Saturday’s missed brace of clear openings saw him fail to connect with a Matty Cash (£4.4m) cross with the goal at his mercy, then fire at Bernd Leno (£5.0m) when racing clear. Morgan Rogers (£5.7m) would have claimed the assist for the latter if Watkins had converted.
Above: Watkins’ missed sitter from Cash’s cross (image from @bestgug)
Another positive, of course, is the lack of Marcus Rashford (£6.7m), whose season may be over. You’d strongly fancy Watkins to start all three remaining Villa games but Saturday was a reminder that he’s still not the 90-minute man of last season, with Donyell Malen (£5.3m) able to deputise up front. The Dutchman was thrown on for Watkins in the 71st minute here, going on to strike the bar himself.
“In the second half today, they helped us a lot, the sub players, how they impacted in 20, 30 minutes. It is necessary to have players very focused and with the game plan, demanding in their mind.” – Unai Emery
SIX RETURNS IN EIGHT FOR TIELEMANS
John McGinn (£5.2m) said after the win over Fulham that Youri Tielemans (£5.5m) was Villa’s “best player by a mile this season”.
Those silky midfield displays haven’t translated into too many FPL returns over the years but Tielemans is enjoying a purple patch right now, with Saturday’s goal his fourth return in five Gameweeks. In all competitions, it’s six from eight.
Saturday’s winner didn’t require his usual finesse: just a good old thumping header from a McGinn corner. He almost grabbed a second, drawing a fine fingertip save from Leno from distance.
This was a nervy afternoon for Villa. No surprise, really, with results more important than the manner of victory at ‘squeaky bum’ stage of the campaign. Unai Emery was a man on the edge, flipping his lid with Ezri Konsa (£4.4m) on the touchline at one point.
You could imagine the Bournemouth match in Gameweek 36 being a similarly tight, edgy affair. Things should get easier thereafter, in theory, with the two likely UEFA Europa League finalists handily scheduled for either side of that May 21 final in Bilbao.
Above: Watkins’ missed opportunities aside, good chances were thin on the ground as neither side reached 1.0 xG
Harry Wilson (£5.2m) had a couple of half-decent openings for the Cottagers but Villa limited their visitors to few opportunities.
That’s now four clean sheets in seven league games for Villa – more than they’d managed in the first 27 Gameweeks (three).
Ian Maatsen (£4.5m) has now started four of the last five league matches as part of that improving backline. While that run started with mere game-to-game rotation, he’s really impressed of late and Saturday’s team was pretty much Emery going full strength.
LET’S TALK ABOUT SESS
Antonee Robinson‘s (£4.8m) return from injury meant that Ryan Sessegnon (£4.2m) was again unleashed as an ‘out of position’ midfielder on Saturday.
Taking up a right-wing position, much of what Fulham did well – and there wasn’t much – came from that flank with Wilson and Kenny Tete (£4.4m). The records show no shots for the budget ‘OOP’ asset but Sessegnon did have the ball in the net from inside the Villa box, only for replays to show he had handled the ball before scoring.
Probably the Cottagers’ brightest spark, there were raised eyebrows – including from Sessegnon himself – when his number went up in the 57th minute. This was his first ‘proper’ early withdrawal since his run in the team started, as his substitution in the defeat to Bournemouth turned out to be a Silva-enraging touchline admin error.
Perhaps Sessegnon’s early booking was a contributing factor this time.
It’s been a bit of a slog for Fulham of late, with only three goals arriving in the last four Premier League matches. They rank 19th for big chances in that time.
At least there’s still the motivation of a possible UEFA Europa Conference League spot to play for. Everton at home next week is surely a must-win game for that pursuit.
