Three more Gameweek 1 matches get the Scout Notes treatment as we pick out the key takeaways for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.
Burnley 1-2 Brighton
- Goals: James Tarkowski (£5.0m) | Neal Maupay (£6.5m), Alexis Mac Allister (£5.5m)
- Assists: Ashley Westwood (£5.5m) | Jakub Moder (£4.5m), Pascal Gross (£6.0m)
- Bonus: Mac Allister x3, Westwood x2, Gross x1
BRIGHTON’S SET-PIECE WEAKNESS
Brighton’s Achilles heel struck again as the Seagulls conceded yet another set-piece goal against Burnley on Saturday, something that was a common occurrence in 2020/21, a weakness that reared its head in pre-season and a fragility that might interest Lucas Digne (£5.5m) owners ahead of Everton’s trip to the Amex in Gameweek 3.
James Tarkowski (£5.5m) nodded in an Ashley Westwood (£5.5m) corner to hand the hosts an early lead, while Robert Sanchez‘s (£4.5m) frequent flapping resulted in another opportunity from a corner that Ben Mee (£5.5m) could only head against the bar.
True to form, Brighton had the second-best expected goals conceded (xGC) tally from open play (0.3) in Gameweek 1 and the second-worst xGC at set-piece situations (1.1).
A disrupted pre-season for the backline may have played a part in the first-half jitteriness at Turf Moor, with Lewis Dunk (£5.0m) and Adam Webster (£4.5m) making a belated return to training, Dan Burn (£4.5m) and Tariq Lamptey (£4.5m) injured and Ben White (£4.5m) exiting for Arsenal.
Added to that in Gameweek 1 was the curious sight of Pascal Gross (£6.0m) at left-back and the unexpected absence of Joel Veltman (£4.5m), with the Dutchman isolating after coming into close contact with a person who had tested positive for Covid-19.
£4.0m FPL defender Shane Duffy starred in Veltman’s stead and rolled back the years with four attempts of his own from set pieces – twice as many as anyone else managed at dead-ball situations in Gameweek 1.
“I thought he was immense. He has been fantastic since he came back. His attitude and professionalism, his approach to the team and group. He has been really good.” – Graham Potter on Shane Duffy
GOOD NEWS FOR ALEXANDER-ARNOLD?
Burnley XI: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Westwood, Cork (Vydra 85), McNeil (Brownhill 79); Wood, Rodriguez (Barnes 70).
Brighton and Hove Albion XI: Sanchez; Webster, Duffy, Dunk, Gross; Alzate (Moder 72); Mwepu (Lallana 46), Bissouma; March, Maupay, Trossard (MacAllister 76).
LEICESTER CITY 1-0 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
- Goals: Jamie Vardy (£10.5m)
- Assists: Ricardo Pereira (£5.5m)
- Bonus: Pereira x3, Kasper Schmeichel (£5.0m) x2, Luke Thomas (£4.5m) x1
IHEANACHO BENCHED
Kelechi Iheanacho‘s (£7.5m) much-anticipated Gameweek 1 benching materialised on Saturday, with the Nigeria international and summer recruit Patson Daka (£7.5m) taking a backseat as Brendan Rodgers went with a 4-2-3-1 against Wolves.
There was a glimmer of hope for Iheanacho, however, with the Leicester boss switching to a 3-5-2 in the final half an hour – a system that got the best out of the mid-price forward in the closing months of 2020/21 and a formation that Rodgers could well increasingly turn to now that Jannik Vestergaard (£5.0m) is on board and given that Jonny Evans (£5.5m) is only a few weeks away from a playing return.
Daniel Amartey‘s (£4.0m) time in the first team will surely be short lived in whatever system Rodgers adopts, given Vestergaard’s arrival and Evans’ relatively short-term absence: he didn’t help his cause on Saturday with some errant passing.
ENCOURAGAMENT FOR WOLVES
The tactical, defensive switch was seemingly done in response to the threat that Wolves posed; the visitors racking up twice as many as many shots as their hosts on Saturday.
“[The fans] see what we did to Leicester. Putting on defenders to play against us and just last week they won 1-0 against Man City. They need to be proud of the players and confident with the process.” – Bruno Lage
The slightly quieter Raul Jimenez (£7.5m) completed the full game for the visitors on his competitive comeback while Ki Jana-Hoever (£4.0m) was selected at right wing-back, with the benched Nelson Semedo (£5.0m) just back from a 10-day spell in isolation.
“We have plenty of time to train with him. He was out of the team for 10 days and just came to the team in the morning.
“I am happy with what Ki did in this game. What we have in this position at right-back is what I want in the whole squad. A top player like Nelson and a top young player like Ki to be competitive.” – Bruno Lage on Nelson Semedo
MADDISON, BERTRAND UPDATES
Ryan Bertrand (£5.0m) missed out on Saturday’s win because of a positive coronavirus test, while James Maddison (£7.0m) was substituted after an hour of the match.
“Ryan [Bertrand], it was unfortunate – he had a lateral flow test which showed up positive. I just need to get more information from the guys tomorrow.”
“[Jamed Maddison] took a whack on his back and he was moving okay but I felt we needed more energy. We’ll see how it is.” – Brendan Rodgers
Harvey Barnes (£7.0m) was handed a start after impressing in pre-season, briefly playing ‘out of position’ up front alongside Jamie Vardy (£10.5m) after that aforementioned tactical switch to a 3-5-2 – something that’s worth monitoring going forward.
While lively in spells, he managed just one shot and no key passes, failing to capitalise on a rare clear chance in the second half.
Instead, it was the old-timer who did the damage, with Vardy finishing brilliantly from a cross from Ricardo Pereira (£5.5m); the Portugal international looking back to his attacking best after fitness problems blighted his 2020/21 run-in.
“It was a brilliant finish. It’s a great piece of skill from Ricky, who is finding his legs and crosses in, and Jamie gets across his man.
“He’s unlucky not to score more than one goal. He got into some great positions but we didn’t have the precision on the final pass.
“We’re managing him to make sure he’s as electric and as explosive as he can be. When he has that hunger he’s very difficult to play against. He’s up there with the best of them and I’m delighted he’s here.” – Brendan Rodgers on Jamie Vardy
Vardy was responsible for six of Leicester’s nine shots – no surprise, perhaps, given that he wasn’t sharing the limelight with Iheanacho for much of the game.
Leicester XI: Schmeichel; Thomas, Soyuncu, Amartey, Pereira; Ndidi, Tielemans; Barnes (Iheanacho 72), Maddison (Soumare 62), Perez (Vestergaard 62); Vardy.
Wolves XI: Sa; Saiss, Kilman (Fabio Silva 91), Coady; Marcal, Moutinho (Dendoncker 66), Neves, Hoever; Trincao (Gibbs-White 86), Jimenez, Traore.
Everton 3-1 Southampton
- Goals: Richarlison (£7.6m), Abdoulaye Doucoure (£5.5m), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£8.0m) | Adam Armstrong (£6.0m)
- Assists: Andros Townsend (£5.5m), Alexi Iwobi (£6.0m), Richarlison | Che Adams (£7.0m)
RICHARLISON RISES – BUT POSSIBLE ABSENCES LOOM
Richarlison (£7.6m) became one of the first players to get a price rise in FPL this season, following his goal and assist in Everton’s 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday.
Any more would-be FPL buyers ought to monitor the situation regarding his call-up by Brazil for the September international break, however, with absences in Gameweeks 4 and 5 a distinct possibility.
Originally starting on the left flank, Richarlison was switched with number 10 Demarai Gray (£5.5m) in the second half – and the tactical move paid dividends.
“We changed the positions of Richarlison and Demarai Gray in the second half and that helped us. We showed good character. Richarlison’s match fitness is good. He had one day off to make sure he was fine. We will try to get the best from him in the next few weeks. I was happy with him on the left and even happier with him down the middle today.” – Rafa Benitez
While Richarlison mopped up the FPL transfers, the signs are also positive for Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£8.0m) under Rafael Benitez.
The summer acquisitions of Andros Townsend (£5.5m) and Gray were evidently made with Calvert-Lewin in mind and over 80% of the chances that Everton created on Saturday came from wide areas, with their total of 25 crosses beaten by just four clubs in Gameweek 1.
He eventually despatched a header from a Richarlison delivery, one of five efforts that the England international had against the Saints.
£4.0m LIVRAMENTO STARTS
The loss of Everton’s clean sheet was a galling one for owners of the corner-taking Lucas Digne (£5.5m), with Michael Keane‘s (£5.0m) needless error allowing Che Adams (£7.0m) to set up Adam Armstrong (£6.0m) for a debut goal; how often have we seen the Saints score in similar circumstances, with their hugely effective press from the front.
Southampton were bright initially but didn’t carve much out of real quality beyond that 21st-minute opener and went missing completely in the second half, with their total of six shots the second-worst in Gameweek 1.
Budget defender Tino Livramento (£4.0m) was positive on a surprise Saints bow, though, with Ralph Hasenhuttl opting to start the teenager over Kyle Walker-Peters (£5.0m) at right-back.
“Tino is a very dynamic young player with a good mentality and the defensive qualities that we need. Today he had a very strong opponent and most of the time he was very good against him. With the ball he showed some good skills, I’m happy for him.” – Ralph Hasenhuttl
Everton XI: Pickford; Digne, Keane, Holgate, Coleman; Gray (Mina 83), Allan, Doucoure, Townsend (Iwobi 70); Richarlison (Gordon 89), Calvert-Lewin.
Southampton XI: McCarthy; Perraud (Redmond 83), Salisu, Stephens, Livramento; Ward-Prowse, Romeu (Diallo 80); Djenepo, Walcott (Tella 80); A Armstrong, Adams.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM GAMEWEEK 1
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