Fantasy Premier League

FPL set-pieces: Hourihane leads Villa threat

By The Scout 2 Jun 2019
Conor Hourihane, Aston Villa

The Scout says Aston Villa offer Fantasy managers big potential from dead-ball situations

Related Articles
The Promoted: Chester leads Villa's set-piece threat
The Promoted: Villa midfield can offer value

When building a Fantasy Premier League squad, knowing the set-piece takers for each club can give managers the edge over mini-league rivals.

Ahead of 2019/20, The Scout analyses which players to target.

Aston Villa

The set-piece record of Villa last season suggests their key players could be worth investing in next season.

Dean Smith's men scored 25 goals from such situations, joint-top in the Championship.

By comparison, Liverpool, with 22, were the only Premier League side to record more than 16 goals at set-pieces in 2018/19.

Rival to Maddison

The delivery of Conor Hourihane (£6.0m) is a major weapon for Villa at free-kicks and corners.

The midfielder created 40 chances from set-pieces, more than twice the 18 of midfield team-mate, Jack Grealish (£6.0m).

Indeed, only two players in FPL surpassed Hourihane's total last season. They were James Maddison (£7.0m), with 48, and Joao Moutinho (£5.5m), with 42.

Hourihane also had a similar dead-ball threat to Maddison.

The Villa man netted twice from direct free-kicks, only one behind the Leicester City midfielder's three last season.

Chester threat

Centre-back James Chester (£4.5m) was a big aerial threat for Smith's side at set-pieces.

Their defender scored all five of his goals from such situations, a total matched only by Shane Duffy (£5.0m) and Callum Wilson (£8.0m) among FPL players.

Abraham factor

The contribution of Tammy Abraham was another big factor in Villa's promotion back to the Premier League.

The loanee from Chelsea scored 26 goals to finish as Villa's top scorer.

Dead-ball situations were a major factor in Abraham's success. Eight of his goals were scored at set-pieces, while a further five were converted penalties.

Abraham has been linked with a move back to Villa and, if he does return, he could be a key cut-price target for FPL managers in 2019/20.

See: FPL set-pieces: Players to target from each club

Latest Videos

More Videos

Video is currently not available.

21 Nov 2024

From then to now: Pep Guardiola's Premier League journey

Look back on the Man City manager's career so far after he signed a new contract

Your details have been submitted successfully.

You have already entered this competition. Please check your email for further information.

Your details have been submitted successfully.

Create a Premier League account

Continue

You are logged in as

Enter your details