It wasn’t the sort of moment usually associated with Youri Tielemans as a player, but his headed winner against Fulham on Saturday illustrated just how forcefully the Belgian is driving Aston Villa forward right now. If Villa qualify for the Champions League again this season, it’ll be due in no small part to Tielemens’ contribution.
Of course, Tielemans has been an important figure at Villa Park for a while. He played over 1,600 minutes in the Premier League last season for a team that earned their place in the top four. This season, though – and particularly over the last couple months – the 27-year-old has reached an even higher level.
Tielemans scored the winner against Fulham, but it was his all-round performance that was most impressive. He was everywhere. Boubacar Kamara was the only Villa player to have more touches of the ball than the Belgian. Nobody made more passes into the final third than Tielemens who also had two shots of his own.
On top of this, Tielemans was extremely effective on the defensive side of the ball. He made five recoveries and wasn’t dribbled past once despite coming up against a Fulham attack that likes to play in quick transition. Tielemeas was the player who gave Aston Villa control of a crucial match in their top five challenge.
“He is really doing fantastic work. He is very, very professional,” Unai Emery said after the 1-0 win over Fulham at Villa Park, highlighting the impressive performance of Tielemans in the centre of the pitch. “The mentality he has… really I appreciate in the highest level we can achieve. He has been excellent.”
The way Tielemans is playing is evocative of Kevin de Bruyne at his Manchester City peak. This is the sort of authority Tielemans’ countryman used to play with as Pep Guardiola’s do-everything operator in the centre of the pitch. Tielemans has become Aston Villa’s de Bruyne as the player himself prepares to depart the Etihad Stadium.
Emery has moulded and remoulded his midfield unit over the course of the last two seasons. Aston Villa spent £50m to sign Amadou Onana from Everton last summer in the belief that the Belgian international would be the perfect number six to anchor their team in the centre of the pitch.
Ross Barkley also arrived from Luton Town as a depth option, strengthening a midfield that already included John McGinn and Kamara. Emery (and President of Football Operations Monchi) knew how important squad depth would be for a team competing on multiple fronts and built out his squad as fully as Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) would allow.
Tielemans, however, has made himself the lynchpin around which everything else revolves for the Villa Park outfit. He has played over 3,000 minutes in the Premier League this season and will play a further 270 minutes against Bournemouth, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United as Aston Villa look to finish the 2024/25 campaign on a high.
The latter two teams wish they had a midfielder like Tielemans. Used in a deeper role and a more advanced position over the course of his career, the Belgian has matured into a two-way operator who can do it all. Now entering his peak years at 27, Tielemens deserves to be playing at the top of the European game.
Champions League qualification for the second straight season could make Aston Villa a permanent member of the English and European football elite. It would allow them to build on top of the success of the last two years with the January capture of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford illustrative of the ambition Villa have to get even better.
Villa’s final league position will determine what they can do in the summer transfer window. Ideally, they will be in the market for a new central defender and possibly a new right back. Asensio and Rashford returning to their respective parent clubs at the end of the season could also force Aston Villa to sign at least another attacker. It could be a busy summer on all fronts.
Tielemans, however, will give Villa continuity as the player who sets the tone for them on and off the ball. The 27-year-old has started more games (52) than any other player in Europe’s Big Five leagues this season “He’s getting better and better and for me, he’s our best player by a mile this season,” said McGinn.
“He keeps churning out performance after performance and he’s enjoying it,” continued the Villa captain on his midfield teammate. “For us to get him on a free transfer was a massive credit to the club. His first year was a bit stop-start but he’s a huge player for us and he’s versatile. he can play as a 10, a eight or a six.” Indeed, Tielemans has never been better than he is now.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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