How Newcastle, Norwich and Villa fared under their new bosses in Gameweek 12

It’s a bit of a Scout Notes special as we take a first look at how the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) assets of Newcastle United, Norwich City and Aston Villa fared under their new managers in Gameweek 12.

One match-worth of data and eye test takeaways isn’t enough to draw any conclusions from, of course, but we can at least see how Eddie Howe, Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard sent their teams out on Saturday and take a bit of a calculated punt as to which players may prosper – or suffer – under new management.

LINE-UPS AND FORMATIONS

Aston Villa

There were no major shocks at Villa Park, with Gerrard adopting the same 4-3-3 tactics he used at Rangers.

The usual goalkeeper and back four were in place, with Marvelous Nakamba (£4.5m) again filling in for the injured Douglas Luiz (£4.5m) in midfield.

Ollie Watkins (£7.3m) started as one of two very narrow wingers in a three-man attack, later taking on the central role upon Danny Ings‘ (£7.7m) withdrawal midway through the second half.

Newcastle United

Howe’s 3-4-3 set-up saw Fabian Schar (£4.3m) replace Emil Krafth (£4.3m) at the back; no surprise, perhaps, given the Switzerland international’s ability on the ball and Howe’s love of a distributor from defence.

Joe Willock (£5.8m) came in for Isaac Hayden (£4.5m) in the engine room as the ex-Bournemouth boss went without a midfield shield, while Joelinton (£5.8m) replaced Miguel Almiron (£5.2m) – who had a late return from international duty – out wide.

In the second half, with Schar injured and Newcastle chasing the game, Howe moved wing-backs (and natural wingers) Jacob Murphy (£4.9m) and Matt Ritchie (£4.9m) to orthodox full-back roles in a very adventurous 4-2-3-1.

Norwich City

Smith also went with a 4-3-3 of sorts at Carrow Road, with two of his three changes seeing the hitherto out-in-the-cold Todd Cantwell (£5.3m) and Billy Gilmour (£4.4m) brought back into the side. Cantwell was replaced by Josh Sargent (£5.4m) at half-time, however, with his manager citing rustiness.

One budget FPL defender kept his place in the starting XI in the form of Brandon Williams (£4.0m); the other, Andrew Omobamidele (£3.9m), was benched.

FPL PLAYERS WHO IMPRESSED UNDER THEIR NEW MANAGERS

Aston Villa

Gerrard cited the need to tighten up at the back when he delivered his first press conference as Villa manager last week and a first clean sheet since Gameweek 6 duly arrived.

It was indeed the defence that impressed most with a more compact and convincing performance. As it happened, this was the first fixture since Gameweek 1 in which last season’s high-achieving defensive unit had all started in a flat back four with Emiliano Martinez (£5.5m) behind them.

Tyrone Mings (£4.9m) was more solid and topped the shot count at Villa park en route to finding the net but it was full-backs Matthew Cash (£5.1m) and Matt Targett (£4.7m) who caught the eye most, tasked with getting forward and providing width either side of Gerrard’s narrow front three – a tactic borrowed from his time at Rangers.

Budget midfielder Jacob Ramsey (£4.5m) may also benefit from Gerrard’s love of a three-man central midfield in the long term and he was back in the starting XI against Brighton.

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Allan Saint-Maximin (£6.8m) and man-of-the-match (yes, really) Joelinton (£5.8m) scored in Howe’s first match in charge but there was at least some encouragement for owners of a blanking Callum Wilson (£7.4m), who couldn’t be bettered for shots in the area in the Premier League in Gameweek 12. He also trailed only two players for penalty box touches and overall goal attempts, seeing one effort cleared off the line.

A word of warning for existing and prospective owners, however: Wilson is now just one booking away from a ban.

Newcastle were top or joint-top for goal attempts (23) and shots in the box (16) in the Gameweek just gone, producing their highest tallies for each in 2021/22 to date. Saint-Maximin, Wilson and Joelinton were responsible for 17 of those 23 efforts.

No FPL asset created more chances than Jonjo Shelvey (£5.3m) in Gameweek 12, while the set-piece-taking Ritchie got forward plenty from left wing-back.

NORWICH CITY

It was perhaps more a collective second-half stir rather than any individual brilliance that swung the game in Norwich’s favour, although Gilmour’s reintroduction will have alerted fans of a dirt-cheap midfielder: the Chelsea loanee was not only back in the starting XI but also on set plays, creating three of Norwich’s seven chances and an assist.

Teemu Pukki (£5.8m) scored for the second successive Gameweek, meanwhile, and has quietly moved up to joint-seventh in FPL forwards’ points table – although that’s perhaps more of an indictment of the Fantasy strikers as a collective than a glowing testimony of the Finn.

THE FPL ASSETS WHO DISAPPOINTED/MISSED OUT

ASTON VILLA

Attacking-wise, Villa barely created anything of note until Watkins’ superb 83rd-minute breakaway opener. Brighton saw over 60% of the ball (even if that was part of the plan) and Ings and Emiliano Buendia (£6.2m) both flattered to deceive before being replaced. There will be a bit of uncertainty about who joins Watkins in the front three next weekend, then, with Ashley Young (£4.7m) impressing off the bench and Leon Bailey (£6.4m) also handed a second-half cameo.

NEWCASTLE UNITED

With two wingers operating at wing-back and then full-back, no defensive midfielder in place, Schar a liability when he isn’t in possession and Karl Darlow (£4.5m) again conceding a goal he shouldn’t have, it’s no surprise that the Magpies looked better going forward than in the other direction.

United are still without a clean sheet in 2021/22 and no side has conceded on more occasions. Ritchie might be attractive going forward with his creativity but when there are issues at the other end, he’s a bit of a no-go.

NORWICH CITY

Cantwell’s sub-par showing won’t have done him any favours, while the 4.2%-owned Omobamidele dropped out of the side after consecutive starts before the international break.

THE OPPOSITION

BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION

Whisper it quietly but Brighton have now gone seven matches without a win. No side has scored fewer goals than the Seagulls (four) in the last six Gameweeks, while only Norwich have carved out fewer big chances.

Despite the shortage of goals, Leandro Trossard (£6.5m) was again deployed as a false nine at Villa, with Neal Maupay (£6.4m) benched for the third Gameweek running.

It’s now four matches without a clean sheet, too, although two of those games were against Manchester City and Liverpool, and Albion really weren’t in any danger at Villa Park until Watkins popped up with his superb solo strike.

Robert Sanchez (£4.6m) is now free of suspension and will presumably return between the posts after a competent Premier League debut for Jason Steele (£4.0m).

“He was excellent. Did everything we asked of him, made some saves, good with his feet, helped the team. Didn’t deserve to lose but that is life. Really happy with him.” – Graham Potter on Jason Steele

Tariq Lamptey (£4.4m) continues to catch the eye, meanwhile. His total of 38 touches in the final third was the highest of anyone on show in the Midlands and for the second week running he was presented with a chance just outside of the six-yard box, with Martinez thwarting him on this occasion.

BRENTFORD

Ivan Toney (£6.7m) almost inevitably scored against his old club on Saturday, ending a run of five straight blanks. Encouragingly for his previously underwhelmed owners, his all-round display was more threatening, with one effort ruled out for an offside and another attempt cleared off the line with Darlow beaten. Bryan Mbeumo (£5.6m), of course, hit the woodwork – the seventh time this season that has happened.

There’s ongoing concern at the back, with the Bees now having conceded eight goals to the bottom three in the last three Gameweeks. Injuries aren’t helping and we even saw Mads Roerslev (£4.3m), a full-back by trade, deputising at centre-half in this match.

“We need to defend better. In duels, defending crosses and defending the box which is something we normally do very well. It’s a strange one. Sometimes you go through ups and downs in terms of having that consistency. It’s definitely something we are focusing on and talking about.” -Thomas Frank

SOUTHAMPTON

Tino Livramento (£4.6m) kept up his ever-present record but blanked for just the second time in nine Gameweeks as Southampton went down to their first defeat in five. It was also noticeable how Saints again attacked more from their left flank: Kyle Walker-Peters (£4.8m) has 100 final-third touches compared to Livramento’s 59 over the last three Gameweeks, with Livramento without a shot or key pass in that time.

Che Adams (£6.8m) and Adam Armstrong (£5.8m) were again paired up top, meanwhile, with the two combining for Adams’ second goal in three matches.

Saints had 12 shots to one in the first half and the ‘one of those days’ feeling was compounded with Alex McCarthy‘s (£4.6m) concession of two goals that he probably ought to have stopped.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, McGinn, Nakamba, Ramsey (El Ghazi 84), Buendia (Young 74), Ings (Bailey 66), Watkins.

Brighton and Hove Albion XI: Steele, Webster, Dunk, Duffy, Lamptey (Maupay 79), Gross (MacAllister 89), Bissouma, Lallana, Cucurella (March 64), Moder, Trossard.

Newcastle United XI: Darlow, Schär (Longstaff 71), Lascelles, Clark, Murphy, Shelvey, Willock (Fraser 71), Ritchie, Joelinton, Wilson, Saint-Maximin.

Brentford XI: Fernández; Roerslev (Goode 80), Jansson, Pinnock, Canós, Janelt (Baptiste 89), Nørgaard, Ghoddos (Onyeka 59), Henry, Toney, Mbeumo.

Norwich City XI: Krul, Aarons, Gibson, Hanley, Williams, Normann, McLean, Cantwell (Sargent 45), Gilmour (Rupp 85), Rashica (Tzolis 89), Pukki.

Southampton XI: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Salisu, Livramento, Elyounoussi (Broja 56), Romeu (Lyanco 72), Ward-Prowse, Diallo, A Armstrong, Adams (Walcott 61).