‘Supernatural’… Aston Villa star lauded for ‘devastating impact’ in 2-1 win v Fulham
Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans received a host of applause for his performance against Fulham on Saturday, with journalist John Townley showering the Belgian with praise.
It’s not always been easy for Youri Tielemans at Aston Villa.
The Belgium international joined Unai Emery’s project in the summer as a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Leicester City and endured a slow start to life in claret and blue.
It took the 26-year-old time to win the manager’s trust to put him in the starting XI however, things finally seem to have fallen into place for Tielemans.
Against Fulham on Saturday, the FA Cup winner showed exactly how lethal he can be in Emery’s system, seeing him receive an abundance of praise.
What John Townley said about Youri Tielemans after Fulham win
Journalist John Townley praised the recent impact of Tielemans, attributing his rise in form to his ability to thrive in the more advanced position that the manager fields him in.
Speaking on the Claret & Blue podcast, Townley said:
“Almost every game something will happen for Tielemans, he’ll create a chance or he’ll find space to make something happen.”
“He is key at the moment to how Villa are playing, he plays in that kind of half space behind Watkins which Bailey or Buendia would be playing in that role, with Watkins almost as a second striker.”
“I think that suits him because he can link up with the midfield then and make that devastating impact where it matters, which for the second goal he picked out that half space then a through ball to Watkins, whereas that wouldn’t have happened if he was on the left.”
Tielemans secured an assist for what turned out to be Watkins’ winner for Villa, repaying the manager for seeing the potential in playing him in the ‘false nine’ style role.
Youri Tielemans is finally finding his feet at Aston Villa
After a slow start, it was easy to forget just how beneficial the £150k-a-week Belgian’s playmaking quality could be for Villa, with Townley also dubbing the 26-year-old as having “supernatural skill”.
With one assist, one shot on target and one key pass recorded against Fulham, via Sofascore, Tielemans is certainly growing into life at Villa and is particularly relishing the form of Watkins.
The former Leicester man has truly made the role just behind the Englishman his own, with record-signing Moussa Diaby not able to dethrone his teammate due to his growing form and confidence in recent weeks.
