Scout Notes – Pre-Season

A loss for Chelsea, mayhem for Spurs and wins for Brighton and Burnley as the pre-season warm-ups return.

Stoke City are dulled by the Blades, however, despite the best efforts of Xherdan Shaqiri.

Here are the notes from Tuesday’s action…

Chelsea 2 Bayern Munich 3

Goals from Marcos Alonso and Michy Batshuayi took some of the sting out of a first pre-season loss for Chelsea as new striker Alvaro Morata made his debut.

The Spaniard claimed the assist for Batshuayi’s goal, flicking on a Cesc Fabregas corner, as the Blues belatedly recovered from being three down just before the break.

In an otherwise poor defensive display from the champions, Alonso’s goal, set up by Victor Moses, would have at least been heartening for the 13.9% of Fantasy Premier League managers with a chunky 7.0 tied up in the defender.

If the Spaniard is to deliver on his premium price this season, he’ll need to come close to replicating last year’s stellar campaign that harvested six goals, provided five assists and kept 15 clean sheets.

His performance against Bayern hinted at exactly that, although there were some uncharacteristic frailties on display at the back, with Thibaut Courtois and Cesar Azpilicueta particularly unconvincing as the Germans took control of the match.

Chelsea will not face many teams as potent as Bayern, however.

Young attacker Jeremie Boga again stood in for Pedro as he recovers from his almighty collision with Arsenal’s David Ospina, while Andreas Christensen played for just over an hour at the heart of Chelsea’s frequently troubled defence.

After breezing past the Gunners, this was a major reality check for Chelsea, with the 11.1%-owned Morata’s assist one of the few positives to emerge.

Chelsea XI: Courtois (Eduardo 74); Azpilicueta, Christensen (Luiz 63), Cahill; Moses, Kante, Fabregas (Pasalic 86), Alonso (Tomori 74); Willian, Batshuayi (Baker 86), Boga (Morata 63).
Subs not used: Caballero, Bulka, Kalas, Clarke-Salter, Scott, Remy.

Tottenham Hotspur 2 Roma 3

Another day, another high-scoring match for Spurs, but this time they were on the wrong end of a five-goal thriller won at the death by rivals Roma.

Late strikes from Harry Winks, from a Vincent Janssen rebound, and then Janssen himself, who swept home a Georges-Kevin Nkoudou cross, brought Spurs back from a two-goal deficit.

But the Italians had the last laugh in a match most notable for a wretched refereeing display from Hilario Grajeda.

The American official gave Roma a contentious penalty, denied Spurs what looked like a clear spot-kick of their own, watched a mini-brawl break out among the players and then tried, and completely failed, to send off Spurs coach Miguel D’Agostino.

Other than that, he had a great night.

Mauricio Pochettino mixed and matched, using three at the back in the first-half and a flat back four after the break, with key players such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld given the full 90 minutes. Youngster Josh Onomah was utilised in a central support role.

But the club’s lack of activity in the transfer market – chairman Daniel Levy going public with his belief that rivals’ spending is ‘unsustainable’ – and worries over the effect playing home matches at Wembley will have on the side have combined to dampen interest in Spurs stars.

Alli (38.0%) and Kane (34.1%) are highly popular FPL choices, but just four other team-mates make it into double figures for ownership.

By contrast, Chelsea have eight assets owned by at least 10% of FPL managers, with two injured players – Pedro and Eden Hazard – likely to join them once fit.

Spurs XI First half: Vorm; Carter-Vickers, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Trippier, Dier, Dembele, Walker-Peters; Onomah, Alli; Kane.

Spurs XI Second half: Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Winks, Dembele; Eriksen, Alli, Georgiou; Kane.

Southend 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 3

Solly March made it three goals in two matches for Brighton as Chris Hughton’s men again gave lower league opposition short shrift.

The midfielder scored twice, and veteran striker Glenn Murray added a third, while new Chelsea loan signing Izzy Brown was thrown straight into the side and earned post-match praise from his boss for his versatility.

“Izzy can play on either flank, but we know he can play off the front as well. Eventually, he could play as a number nine, but I don’t see him as a nine, I see him as one that is going to play off a front man or in a wide area.”

Assists came from Liam Rosenior, Markus Suttner and Murray.

Hughton chose to rest a number of first-teamers ahead of another pre-season run-out, on Saturday, against Norwich City.

It’s also worth noting that centre-back Uwe Huenemeier – priced at 4.0 in FPL and owned by 8.4% – played the full 90 minutes alongside Lewis Dunk in the heart of defence.

Brighton XI: Maenpaa; Rosenior (Cox 63), Huenemeier, Dunk (Tilley 82), Suttner (White 63); March (Molumby 82), Sidwell (LuaLua 63), Stephens (Dallison 82), Brown (Ince 63); Gross (Towell 82); Murray (Connelly 71).

Preston North End 1 Burnley 2

Robbie Brady was at the heart of Burnley’s win over Lancashire rivals Preston, with the goals coming from Jonathan Walters and Sam Vokes.

The Irish midfielder’s set-piece skills were a threat throughout.

His free-kick found Tom Anderson, who headed across goal for Walters to score, before the fit-again Vokes hit the winner, applying the slightest of touches to a Kevin Long header, again from a Brady dead-ball delivery.

Manager Sean Dyche’s latest buy, the experienced full-back Phil Bardsley, took no part in the match, but most of the Clarets’ first-team squad gained more valuable pitch-time.

Walters now has two goals and an assist since joining the club, while the productive Brady has returned a goal and assist.

But FPL interest in Burnley players remains low in light of the club’s tough start to the season – they travel to Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool and Everton over the first seven Gameweeks – and only Tom Heaton and Ben Mee enjoy notable ownership.

Burnley XI: Heaton (Pope, 46); Lowton (C Long 81), Taylor (Ward 71), Anderson, K Long (Mee 64); Brady (Barnes 71), Gudmundsson (Ulvestad 75), Westwood (Defour 64), Cork (Hendrick 64); Walters (Agyei 81), Vokes (Gray 81).

Sheffield United 2 Stoke City 1

Xherdan Shaqiri was on the scoresheet for Stoke City as Kurt Zouma’s debut for the club ended in defeat.

The Swiss international combined with Ramadan Sobhi to level for the Potters before a late goal gave the hosts the win.

Chelsea loanee Zouma played the first half alongside Ryan Shawcross at the centre of the Stoke defence, but it was Shaqiri who caught the eye as he looks to take on more attacking responsibility following the sale of Marko Arnautovic to West Ham.

Elsewhere, defender Geoff Cameron was used in midfield for the first half, allowing Joe Allen to play in a more attacking role, before Hughes shuffled his pack after the break.

It should also be noted that Bardsley’s departure to Burnley seemingly cements Glen Johnson’s start at right-back or right wing-back; like Cameron, he is available as a 4.5 Stoke defender in FPL.

Stoke City XI: Grant; Johnson (Edwards 69), Pieters (Tymon 69) Shawcross (Muniesa 80), Zouma (Crouch 46); Fletcher (Adam 80) Cameron (Wollscheid 80); Shaqiri (Diouf 73), Allen (Imbula 80), Ramadan; Berahino (Bojan 73).

Keep up to date with all the summer action with our Pre-Season Guide available here.