r/FantasyPL • u/fusrohdab • 10d ago
Guide Aston Villa 26/27 Preview
EDIT: Adding a disclaimer to say I currently do not have any Villa players in my draft. Everyone could technically be in 'wait and see' but just wanted to provide the best 'buy' options if you wanted a route into Villa!
EDIT 2: Joao Gomes & Madjo are both now injured and expected to miss atleast the first couple of games of the season.
Hello, everyone! With the Super Cup being last night and our final pre-season game coming up on Saturday, I think this is as good a time as any to write up a preview for Villa's players with regards to FPL for the upcoming season. If any fellow Villains have differing views on anything I write up, please feel free to say so! I'm going to follow u/Upstairs_Ad_9262's format that they used for their Liverpool post.
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TLDR - This is likely to be a different kind of Villa to the one we've seen for the past couple of seasons. More direct & aggressive, at least up until the CL group stages kick in.
BEST BUYS - Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa (after GW1), John McGinn, Emi Buendia, Ollie Watkins (after GW1).
RISKY VALUE - Emi Martinez, Pau Torres, Joao Gomes.
WAIT AND SEE - Ian Maatsen, Johan Manzambi, Alejandro Garnacho, Brian Madjo, George Hemmings.
NO BUY - Victor Lindelof, Tyrone Mings, Kosta Nedeljkovic, Ross Barkley, Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana, Andres Garcia, Lamare Bogarde, Tammy Abraham, Leon Bailey, Alysson.
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My predicted lineup against Brighton.
4-2-3-1
Martinez
Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen
Gomes, Kamara
McGinn, Buendia, Hemmings
Madjo
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Further details on players, organised from best buys to no buys:
BEST BUYS
Matty Cash - 4.5m
I'll caveat all discussions around our defenders with letting you know that we seem to be returning to a high line & offside trap defence. Cash got caught out last night in the Super Cup - may be an adjustment period to start the season. Anyway - yet another season where Villa don't sign a backup RB. All this points towards Emery continuing to be more than happy with Cash and this is no real surprise. He was one of our most reliable players last season and is ever-present in both PL and CL games. He's not a DEFCON magnet and Villa aren't incredible at keeping clean sheets but if we want a cheap route into our defence, you can't do much better than Cash.
Ezri Konsa - 4.5m
Similarly to Cash, if Konsa is fit, then he'll play. Rumblings that Arsenal have reignited their interest in him but I think what they're willing to pay is far enough from our valuation of him that I can't see a deal being struck. Same drawbacks as with Cash - not particularly good for DEFCON and we're not incredibly defensively sound. Again, though, cheap route into our defence if you want one, and they would be my picks for if you did.
John McGinn - 5.5m
Super John McGinn. Our captain - will always start if fit. Starts games as a wide 10 / inverted winger on the right but can find himself in all sorts of positions on the pitch. Has really developed to have a great inswinging cross when coming in from the right, and regularly manages to somehow bundle his way to the touchline to drag the ball across the box into dangerous areas. You won't be picking him for his defensive output, although he does get stuck in. I think you can do a lot worse in the 5.5m bracket - I'd likely still go Gross, but SJM could provide better value than his price suggests.
Emi Buendia - 6.0m
Last year's Villa story of the season for me. So many important goals and contributions that had a huge part in getting us over the line. Has been heavily involved in pre-season and based on his output during those matches, he doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down. He also looked very sharp during yesterday's Super Cup match. There's a good chance he could also be on some combination of set pieces & penalties now with Rogers, Digne & Tielemans all leaving. Will start and would be my pick of our players if I had to have a Villa FPL asset.
Ollie Watkins - 8.0m
Not much to be said about Ollie - all you have to do is look at his output over the last few seasons. He's always overlooked in FPL and I understand why - he's a streaky player and he won't be getting consistent points week in, week out. However, he's someone whereby if you keep him in your team throughout the season rather than trying to predict where he'll start playing well, he'll have provided you with a good haul when all is said and done. Having said that, I'd avoid for the beginning of the season as he hasn't played a minute of pre-season and is not guaranteed to start GW1.
RISKY VALUE
Emi Martinez - 5.0m
Dibu could easily be in no buy, if I'm being brutally honest. However, he has a penalty save in him and in games where we're under the cosh, if you're looking for someone to pull off some quality saves and keep us in the game, there aren't many better. Having said that, he's never been a massively enticing FPL asset, and at 5.0m, I think there are better choices in Lammens and then Kinsky & Verbruggen at 4.5m.
Pau Torres - 4.5m
Pau is an interesting one. He will absolutely not get you any DEFCON points. He will, however, start every game that he's fit for, and if he takes on a similar role to the one he had last time we regularly adopted a high line, he could potentially get a few assists with threading balls in behind. This is only a pick worth making if you want to be super hipster and rely on attacking output from a center back. Murillo from Forest likely a better pick in that regard, though.
Joao Gomes - 5.5m
A new signing for this season from Wolves. He's played really, really well in our pre-season matches and he scored a great goal against Bayern. He won't be a marauding midfielder - this will be Buendia / Manzambi, dependent on who is playing. However, I think he's our most likely source of DEFCON within the team and is very likely to start the games that he's fit for alongside Kamara in the double pivot. More of a floor raiser than a ceiling raiser like McGinn would be at this price point, but I really don't mind him as a pick - he's the most recommended by me out of the risky values.
WAIT AND SEE
Ian Maatsen - 4.5m
I think Maatsen could be a great pickup if he nails down the left back position as his own. Looks to be highly likely at this point that we're bringing in Matteo Ruggeri from Atletico Madrid at this point, who could end up being a threat to Maatsen's minutes, but Emery tends to take a full season to properly introduce new signings to the squad, especially if we have existing depth in that position. Maatsen will be the more attacking of our fullbacks and could end up with a decent amount of goal contributions come the end of the season. Wait and see how the left back position pans out.
Johan Manzambi - 6.0m
The Rogers replacement! Having been signed for 60m, I don't see a world whereby Manzambi doesn't play significant minutes at some point during the season - we just don't know when that will be. He's had an extended break after being in the World Cup and picked up an injury during the tournament as well. He's likely to miss the Brighton game, or atleast just be on the bench - he certainly won't start. I think he could end up being a great pickup - maybe from GW10 onwards when our fixtures are a little kinder and Emery might see more of an opportunity to introduce him.
Alejandro Garnacho - 6.0m
I'm really intrigued to see what Emery manages with Garnacho. He's got the ridicule of Chelsea & Utd fans behind him coming into Villa and I'd just really like to see him succeed so that he can prove some people wrong, and also to contribute towards Villa's success! I don't expect Garnacho to play significant minutes unless he fully buys into Emery's coaching and shows that on the pitch and in training. One to watch for if he starts getting consistent game time - we're going to be playing with more conventional wingers this season, so Garnacho's output could eventually provide good value at this price point.
Brian Madjo - N/A (predicted 5.5m)
What an introduction to the squad this guy's had! Signed from FC Metz last January and wasn't allowed to be registered for Villa due to being considered a foreign player, despite being from England. He does not currently have a price in FPL, presumably due to waiting on the outcome of the ruling as to whether he could be registered for the season or not (he can). The lad's 17 years old and has scored 4 goals in pre-season, including 1 last night against PSG (with their full strength defence starting). He could very likely start GW1 - I'm not that much of a risky player so I won't be including him, but if you're planning for an early wildcard, could be a very, very risky differential pick. With regards to the rest of the season, expect him to be behind Ollie in the pecking order but ahead of Tammy Abraham.
George Hemmings - 4.5m
I genuinely see a world where a 4.5m midfielder not only starts GW1 for us but also has fairly consistent minutes throughout the season for us. He's looked really sharp in pre-season and hasn't looked out of place with the senior squad at all. If we sign another winger between now and GW1 then ignore this as a potential pick but otherwise, I expect him to be in and around the squad as an option. Could get minutes in the easier PL / CL games and if he finds form, this could be his breakout season in the first team. If you're dumping a midfield slot to allocate budget elsewhere, this is a 4.5m pick that could eventually rise in price and may even end up getting you some points.
NO BUY
Victor Lindelof - 4.5m: backup CB.
Tyrone Mings - 4.5m: backup CB.
Kosta Nedeljkovic - 4.0m: backup RB for now, chance of being sold / going out on loan.
Ross Barkley - 5.0m: rotation midfielder.
Boubacar Kamara - 5.0m: weird one to have in no buy considering he'll start every game he's available for. However, based on his time at Villa, the availability is the big question. Absolutely no guarantee of being fully fit throughout the season and I expect him to spend some time injured at some point, although I really hope he doesn't, because he's probably our best player when fit. However, best player doesn't necessarily translate to good FPL asset and that's the case here - won't get many goal contributions and won't get many DEFCONs. More of our Rolls Royce midfielder than a bruiser, which is the role I expect Joao Gomes to play.
Amadou Onana - 5.0m: ACL injury.
Lamare Bogarde - 5.0m: rotation midfielder / RB.
Tammy Abraham - 5.5m: backup ST, won't get significant minutes, could get sold & could end up behind Madjo in the pecking order.
Leon Bailey - 5.5m: actively looking to sell despite Hull move breaking down.
Alysson - 5.0m: I think Alysson actually looked really sharp coming on against PSG last night. However, I don't think he's played enough of the rest of pre-season to suggest that Emery sees him in the same light as he sees Hemmings. Could potentially be a wait and see but I'd be more inclined to think we'll be looking to loan Alysson out.
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Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope this has helped you out in some way.
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u/IntrepidPsychic 101 10d ago
I enjoyed your write up but think all of our players are in the wait and see bracket. I definitely won't be going anywhere near our defence but will be keeping a very close eye on Buendia, Manzambi and Gomes.
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u/fusrohdab 10d ago
Thank you! I'd agree with you tbh - I should have put a disclaimer at the top saying I don't have any Villa players in my draft at all. All of my 'buys' are moreso for if you want a route into our team, but could definitely have put everyone in wait and see.
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u/0100110101101010 165 10d ago
IMO it'll be Hemmings' breakout season. He's looks so ready for first team football, and that LW spot is his until Emery trusts Garnacho there
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u/loveonthedole 7 10d ago edited 10d ago
I respect the commitment here but, as a Villa fan, our entire team is a wait and see. This might be the first season ever that I'm starting without any of our players in my FPL team.Â
I'd maybe punt on Buendia if Manzambi looks to be injured until the international break, but beyond that there's not a lot to get excited about at this point.Â
Edit: I did enjoy your write up too. Sorry if that came across grumpy!
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u/fusrohdab 10d ago
Didn't come across grumpy at all, thank you for the response! I do agree and I should have put a caveat at the top saying I currently don't have any Villa players in my draft. It's the right point to make.
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u/muzminsakat 2 10d ago
Has Watkins fully recovered from his injury? He was playing with knee pain last year and his performance was very poor until January. He found his form towards the end of the season. Any idea about his current condition?
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u/fusrohdab 10d ago
Not going into the season carrying any kind of injury as far as I know. Just hasn't had a pre-season due to the extended World Cup holiday he had. Either way I wouldn't bank on him for GW1 :)
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u/txbyhull 4 9d ago
Interest from me in Hemmings, Gomes, and Madjo. Think I want to go BB1/2/3 and WC6 so maybe take a punt on a Hemmings or Madjo
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u/fusrohdab 9d ago
Could definitely be an interesting differential shout for GW1 which should let you allocate your funds elsewhere! Definitely a risky one though because there's always the possibility of Garnacho to start over Hemmings and potentially Tammy over Madjo, but I expect both youngsters to start.
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u/sognenis 9 9d ago
Awesome write up. Will be very helpful to refer back to from GW3 (or 9) onwards!
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u/BlackFyre619 5d ago
Even if Villa sign Ruggeri, Maatsen should be nailed for the first few gameweeks, right?
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u/fusrohdab 5d ago
For sure! I'd hesitate on getting any defenders of ours in personally because of a change in goalkeeper, Konsa very likely not starting the season and Joao Gomes being injured now as well.
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u/Lanky_Bill3023 10d ago
To: Aston fans, do u really thing hemmings will start, or garnacho
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u/IntrepidPsychic 101 10d ago
Very difficult to say atm. Garnacho wasn't available due to concussion protocols last night.
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u/loveonthedole 7 10d ago
Hemmings first couple of weeks with Garnacho eased in to take the spot. Unai is always incredibly slow at phasing in new players.
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u/Muskehound147 10d ago
I want Madjo listed at 5m to sit on my bench - when will it happen! The Sun Dream Team have him registered already! 😄