Why Grealish will be the key for Villa
Jack Grealish could make the difference for Aston Villa in what is shaping as a classic clash of styles against Fulham in the 'richest match in football' on Sunday (AEST).
If history is a guide by which we can predict future events, Aston Villa’s two matches against Fulham this season reveal a lot about what will happen when the two sides meet on Sunday morning (AEST) for the 20th and final spot in next season’s Premier League.
In both their previous games - home and away - Fulham enjoyed more than 60 percent possession, but in both, the home team came up trumps.
The first match between the pair, in October 2017, resulted in a 2-1 win to the Villains, with John Terry scoring inside the first half hour. Stefan Johansen equaled for Fulham in the shadows of half-time, before Albert Adomah put Villa in front five minutes after the restart.
In a similar vein, expect Villa to hunt out an early blow, then sit back and hang on, like it did over two legs of the play-off semi-final against Middlesbrough.
For its part, Fulham is the more attractive of the teams, deploying an entertaining brand of possession-based football and punctuated by the like of young star Ryan Sessegnon, who celebrated his 18th birthday in between Play-off qualifying rounds.
Villa, with its ensemble of canny veterans – Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak and experienced campaigner Allan Hutton among them – will look to disrupt Fulham’s flow and frustrate its younger opponent by sitting back and absorbing pressure in what is set up as a classic contrast of styles.
The experienced core of gnarled elder statesmen will man Villa’s rearguard, but it’s a man notable by his absence in the last match between the sides, who will provide the key to his team’s attack.
Much-Maligned midfielder Jask Grealish, colourful of personality and sporting a robust bouffant to match, was absent when Fulham ended Aston Villa’s unbeaten start to 2018, at Craven Cottage in February.
Again the match was tight on the scoreboard – 2-0 to the home side – but Fulham’s 63 percent command of possession paints a different picture. With its creative lynchpin, Villa was bereft of ideas at the attacking end of the pitch. Fulham rattled off 14 shots that day to Villa’s seven, only two of which were on target.
Grealish’s vision, ability to unlock defences with a pass and link up with the likes of Robert Snodgrass and albert Adomah, give Villa an attacking edge to compliment its stoic backline.
The 22 year-old may not get many chances against a Fulham team that eschews winning back and dominating possession of the ball, but his ability to take them and create scoring opportunities for the players around him will be the key to his team winning the fabled $117 million game.
