Aston Villa had an ideal chance to reach their first FA Cup final in a decade at the weekend. With Crystal Palace standing in the way, Unai Emery’s men let the occasion overawe them as the club slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Wembley.
Having been knocked out of the Champions League by PSG just 11 days prior, the FA Cup represented the last chance for the club to end a near 30-year wait for a major trophy.
Despite the result, Emery must gather his men for the crunch tie against Fulham this afternoon. A win is a must if the Midlands side wants to play in Europe’s premier club competition next term.
The Spaniard will certainly be making a change or two, especially in his attacking department…
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Ollie Watkins started the semi-final against Palace, yet delivered one of his poorest performances in a Villa shirt.
In a game of such high magnitude, the striker completed only eight passes throughout the match and lost possession seven times.
He failed to even register a single shot against the Eagles, while also failing with both his dribble attempts and winning just one of his seven duels.
Goals
15
Assists
7
Goal conversion percentage
19%
Shots per game
2.3
Big chances created
6
Big chances missed
24
It was a performance that the Englishman will be keen to forget, that’s for sure. Marcus Rashford looks certain to miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury, otherwise, he may well have started against Palace.
This leaves the door ajar for another January signing to be unleashed against the Cottagers today – Donyell Malen.
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It’s safe to say that Malen hasn’t quite enjoyed the start to life many expected of him after his £20m move from Borussia Dortmund in the winter transfer window.
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Indeed, across 14 games for the club, he has started just three times, scoring three goals in the process.
He might not start often, but Malen has recorded a goal conversion percentage of 25%, showcasing his finishing abilities.
Furthermore, he averages 1.1 shots per game as well as scoring once every 96 minutes. Perhaps he offers more coming off the bench against tired legs, but with Watkins performing so poorly last week, it is now time for Malen to shine.
When compared to peers across Europe’s big five leagues, the Dutchman ranks in the top 11% for touches inside the opposition penalty area (6.44) and in the top 1% for non-penalty goals (0.71) per 90 over the previous 365 days.
This suggests Emery must not have any reservations about unleashing him in the starting XI, that’s for sure.
Dubbed “very dangerous” and “extremely fast” by his former teammate, Mario Götze, the former Dortmund man has plenty to offer Villa over the next few weeks.
Having scored three Premier League goals since the start of April, another one or two this afternoon would help Villa get over the FA Cup disappointment and spearhead their charge towards a top-five finish.
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