Story by
Aston Villa ace Ian Maatsen has to adjust his game vs Fulham player who's among Premier League leaders
- Story by
- Aston Villa ace Ian Maatsen has to adjust his game vs Fulham player who's among Premier League leaders
Ian Maatsen will be in for a different type of challenge when Aston Villa take on Fulham.
The 24-year-old is Unai Emery's starting left-back at the moment, and he's hoping to make that by choice rather than necessity.
Advertisement
Indeed, Matteo Ruggeri remains sidelined through injury, leaving the Dutchman as Villa's only natural option in this position.
Maatsen is a player who divides opinion amongst supporters, as on his day he looks every bit of a top-quality Premier League defender.
Consistency issues have plagued his spell at Villa Park though, and it's this trait that he's perhaps still got the most to prove to Emery.
His latest test, however, won't necessarily put his defensive qualities to the test, but rather two other aspects of his game.
Why Ian Maatsen's pace will be tested by huge Fulham threat
Advertisement
Fulham at home is a must-win game for Villa, and one that they'll be expected to do so.
Cottagers boss Alvaro Arbeloa is under serious pressure, with the Londoners sitting 18th in the Premier League table with two wins from eight.
In those moments, gaffers can often look to individuals who can provide moments of quality, and potentially job-saving ones.
Oscar Bobb is one of Fulham's talismanic threats in that regard, despite the fact he's only provided one goal and zero assists in eight league games this term.
Per FotMob , his 42 touches in opposition boxes rank him in the top 2.3 per cent of all Premier League right wingers in 2026-27.
Advertisement
On top of that, he's also created 16 chances, delivered eight successful crosses, played 34 line-breaking passes and won 10 fouls.
However, his biggest weapon is his pace, as his top speed of 35.5 kilometres per hour is the fourth-fastest of any Premier League player this season.
Only Newcastle's Harvey Barnes (36.2km/h), Liverpool's Bradley Barcola (35.9km/h) and Man City's Antoine Semenyo (35.7km/h) have been clocked in faster.
So, aside from the obvious responsibility on Maatsen's shoulders in this regard, why will it also be a test of his footballing brain?
Why George Hemmings can't start when Aston Villa host Fulham Maatsen may not be able to play his normal game against Fulham
Advertisement
Maatsen is very much in the mould of a modern-day full-back.
He's quick himself, and loves to utilise his speed to bomb forward down the left flank and contribute in attacking phases.
In 2025-26, his 3.77 touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes ranked him in the leading 4.8 percentile of all Premier League left-backs.
Meanwhile, on a per 90 basis last term he also created 1.46 chances, took 1.13 shots, completed 1.18 dribbles and played 9.74 line-breaking passes.
Fulham are likely to seek counter-attacking opportunities on Saturday night, and Bobb's pace could be lethal to Villa if he's given room to run into.
Maatsen, therefore, will have to show real intelligence to know when to commit to an attacking charge, and when to stay back and restrict space in-behind that Bobb could exploit.
