Scout Notes – Gameweek 2 – Saturday

Manchester United continue to steamroll their opponents, but it’s thanks to a midfield duo rather than a lacklustre Romelu Lukaku, while many managers get rolled over by rotation at Liverpool.

Newcomers star for Watford and Stoke City, West Brom keep it clean, and West Ham find hope in defeat, but things are rather less rosy for Arsenal and Bournemouth.

Here are the notes from an action-packed Saturday.

Limited Lukaku does just enough

It is fair to say that Romelu Lukaku was anything but lively in Manchester United’s 4-0 victory in south Wales.

Indeed, the statistics tell the tale – his minutes per touch reduced from 2.1 against West Ham in Gameweek 1 to 3.4 against Swansea City on Saturday.

But Lukaku’s third strike of the season put quite the gloss on an otherwise drab performance.

The 54.4%-owned striker completed just eight passes in Swansea’s half. For context, fellow goalscorer Eric Bailly managed the same.

The Belgian’s total of nine completed passes all in was just one more than Ander Herrera managed. The Spaniard was on the pitch for five minutes, Lukaku 90.

Even the striker’s goal threat was limited. His three attempts was just one more than Anthony Martial managed in a 15-minute cameo, while the all-action Paul Pogba had as many touches in the opposition box, six, as Lukaku.

A massive 67% of his Fantasy Premier League owners handed Lukaku the armband yesterday, 1,636,431 managers bagging 12 points and walking away happy – for now.

However, we shouldn’t let the scoreline or the points hide the fact that both United and Lukaku were pretty lacklustre for a long period of the game, until Swansea changed shape and Pogba became unshackled.

United’s rich midfield seam

If Lukaku was practically invisible, nobody could miss the influence of Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The Frenchman scored for the second week running and added two assists to hand his 25.6% ownership a 15-point haul.

The 13.3%-owned Mkhitaryan provided the other two assists, to make it four from two matches now.

Having one or the other in our squads is currently looking compulsory.

Only Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil has created more chances than the Armenian’s nine, but costs 1.4 more than Mkhitaryan, whose four assists lead the way in FPL.

As for Pogba, he’s battling out with Liverpool’s Sadio Mane as the most dynamic attacking force among midfielders and, again, comes in 1.4 cheaper than his rival.

The United duo’s values are edging up and both have enjoyed significant overnight ownership boosts, with Pogba leading the way on 92,000+ and Mkhitaryan up by more than 38,000.

There is one curious factor to consider with Pogba, however, as detailed in last night’s Knee Jerk article.

The Frenchman’s 23 points puts him top of the midfielder table in FPL (Mkhitaryan has 21), but he has managed just the one assist without Marouane Fellaini on the pitch.

For all the talk of the liberating influence Nemanja Matic brings to the Frenchman’s game, a combination of Fellaini and tired opposition legs seems to be bringing out the best in Pogba.

United’s record signing is grabbing the headlines and winning the ownership battle with Mkhitaryan, for now.

But the minority might take a short-term two-point gap in productivity if their man Mkhitaryan continues in his low-key, but possibly more self-reliant, ways.

Klopp rotation bites hard

It was almost inevitable that Jurgen Klopp was going to make changes to his team for the visit of Crystal Palace.

The German had opted to field exactly the same side – and subs bench – for the opening matches of both Liverpool’s domestic and Champions League campaigns.

But with the second leg of the European clash with Hoffenheim looming in midweek and the visit of Arsenal to come after that, something – or someone – had to give.

The unexpected fall guy ended up being Mo Salah – much to the consternation of nearly 200,000 FPL managers who had brought the Egyptian in for the Palace match.

More than 175,000 – that’s 4.0% of overall users and 13.5% of Salah’s ownership – also made him their captain. A one-point, 29-minute cameo ensued.

Klopp spoke post-match of the need to rotate, while talking up the return of Daniel Sturridge who, as fellow left-footer apt to drift in from the right flank, is an obvious rival for Salah in Liverpool’s front three.

“It was a combination of the last game, the next game and the actual game, which is the main thing to think about. Offensively, Daniel is back and that’s good news. I think it makes sense after a very good period pre-season then a short break with a little muscle thing that we bring him in immediately and try to use his quality.”

Sadio Mane’s goals – two in two league matches now – and Roberto Firmino’s prodigious work rate continue to catch the eye, so Salah suffered as a result.

The unseemly rush to get rid of him – only the injured Wilfried Zaha has lost more overnight owners – looks woefully premature, however.

The Reds’ attack is sufficiently fluid, and all will likely have to take their turns, both on the pitch and in the dugout.

That also clearly includes the defence.

The cheap and cheerful differential that was Trent Alexander-Arnold (4.5 and 3.2%) scored in midweek but didn’t even make the squad yesterday, while Andrew Robertson made his debut at left-back and promptly impressed with nine points from a clean sheet and maximum bonus.

Liverpool should make it to the Champions League group stages, so squad rotation looks like being here to stay.

How we tiptoe through that particular selectorial minefield could have a major bearing on our seasons.

Not so cheery Cherries

Two matches, two defeats – all is not well at Bournemouth.

Yes, there’s a long way to go, but the Cherries’ opening two fixtures – away at West Brom, home to Watford – were meant to give them a solid start.

Instead, they’ve lost them both and scored no goals in the process.

Left-back Charlie Daniels, at 17.9% far and away their most popular pick in FPL, is in the top five for transfers-out overnight.

And for once, that looks like a knee worth jerking, so to speak.

Bournemouth’s next four Gameweeks include a home match with Brighton. That’s the good news.

Man City will also visit, and there’s trips to Arsenal and Everton to come. Spurs and Chelsea await in the four Gameweeks after that.

Picking Cherries doesn’t look so fruitful for the foreseeable future.

Richer pickings at Watford

As shown above, Pogba and Mkhitaryan are bossing the midfield stats – particularly at their very pleasing 8.1 price points.

But there appears to be potential value available from a considerably less glamorous outlet.

Step forward Watford midfielder Richarlison, who opened his Hornets account with the first goal in the 2-0 win at Bournemouth.

The Brazilian also provided an assist in the draw with Liverpool, so for just 6.0 you could have had 15 points by now.

His underlying stats are as impressive as his points haul, with his combination of threat and creativity promising continued returns.

Four points from a tricky start to the season, Marco Silva’s first away win as a Premier League manager and a decent enough run of fixtures to come over the next five Gameweeks – life is good for Watford at the moment.

Brighton are next week’s visitors, and in Richarlison, the Hornets have a 0.6%-owned differential in the making.

Jese’s debut delight

That stereotypical litmus test for every foreign player in the Premier League – can they do it on rainy Tuesday night at Stoke – will most definitely apply to new signing Jese.

The former Real Madrid man, after all, is a Stoke City player, so he’s going to have to play in the Potteries whatever the day or the weather.

On the evidence of one showery Saturday afternoon, the omens are very good.

His 71-minute debut against Arsenal involved four penalty box touches, three attempts, three chances created and the winning goal.

That’s impressive stuff for a man who was so short of match fitness that he had to be practically carried off the pitch.

What is so appealing is that Jese played in a fluid attacking formation which often found him in advanced positions through the middle for the Potters, but he is classified as a midfielder in FPL.

That’s a tempting combination for a player valued at just 6.0, although Stoke’s schedule is, for now at least, a tough one – they have to face both Manchester clubs and Chelsea in the next six Gameweeks.

The fixtures ease after that, through to a Gameweek 14 visit from Liverpool, marking Jese out as one to keep a weather eye on for the medium-term.

More than 44,000 have swooped for the Spaniard so far ahead of Gameweek 3 – only Pogba has attracted more suitors among midfielders.

Alas, a Lacazette

One foreign import who struggled in Stoke was Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette.

The 18.2%-owned French striker was denied a second goal of the season by the width of his offside boot, but otherwise offered little compared to his team-mates.

He managed six touches in the penalty area, which sounds solid enough until you realise that left wing-back Hector Bellerin had 10, and just the one chance created, and precisely zero attempts on goal add up to a miserable first away match of the season.

With a large price – 10.5 – comes great expectations.

Arsenal’s short-term schedule suggests hard times ahead against Liverpool and Chelsea, both away, over the next three Gameweeks.

Nearly 15,000 managers have already seen enough and ushered him out overnight.

Maguire keeps on scoring

One of the few bright spots of Hull City’s dark and dismal relegation last season was the attacking prowess of centre-half Harry Maguire.

He’s taken that threat with him to Leicester City.

At 5.0, he’s an expensive asset in the Foxes’ backline, but the 2.8% of FPL managers who’ve splashed the cash have been rewarded with a goal and an assist already.

Throw in a clean sheet against Brighton yesterday, and that’s an 18-point start that puts him third in the defenders’ chart.

It also proves that the two goals and three assists he served up at Hull last year were not a flash in the pan.

Injury concerns for Jamie Vardy, who limped off with an ankle injury, and Wes Morgan’s ongoing back issues could stretch Leicester’s squad.

And their immediate schedule – Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool are to come over the next four Gameweeks – further dampens the appeal of their assets.

But Maguire, so far at least, has produced such great returns at both ends of the pitch as to be almost fixture-proof.

Only one nailed-on Hammer

Such has been the desperate start to the season for West Ham that losing 3-2 at Southampton almost looks like a positive.

The Hammers, after all, had to play two-thirds of the match with ten men thanks to Marko Arnautovic’s reckless elbow, and they conceded two penalties to further salt their self-inflicted wounds.

Chicharito’s first two goals for the club so very nearly earned them an incredibly hard-fought draw in which they at least exorcised some of the demons of their awful showing at Old Trafford the previous week.

The Mexican forward’s goalscoring pedigree is beyond doubt, and his 13-point haul at St Mary’s was a huge boost for the 20.2% of FPL managers who have invested in his 7.0 third-striker charms. Another 76,000+ have so far invested following the brace.

A loss it still a loss, but West Ham now have the fixtures to build on their improvement, with only the visit of Spurs offering a major test over the next eight Gameweeks, although they will still have only played at home four times by the end of that run.

Arnautovic’s suspension will hurt, but the return of Michail Antonio and the improving fitness of both Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll suggest that the darkest days might already be behind the Hammers.

The form of Chicharito is, arguably, the brightest news of all.

Baggies cleaning up their defensive act

One of the more surprising features of last season was West Brom’s dirty defensive laundry.

Tony Pulis oversaw a team that returned just six clean sheets. Only Hull kept fewer, while Middlesbrough went down having managed 11 shut-outs.

Normal service, however, has been resumed.

Two matches, two 1-0 wins and just two big chances conceded – equal top among teams who’ve played twice so far – makes for much more Pulis-like reading.

It also puts Ahmed Hegazi, with 23 points, top of a defensive table that includes two other Baggies’ back men in the top six.

And the 16.6%-owned Ben Foster is currently the second-highest points-scoring goalkeeper, bringing in 13 points for an outlay of just 4.5.

Small wonder then that nearly 18,000 managers have brought him overnight – well over double that of his nearest rival, Newcastle’s Rob Elliot.

West Brom’s schedule remains strong, with a trip to Arsenal the toughest test they’ll face before Gameweek 10’s visit from Man City.

Only Foster and Hegazi currently enjoy double-digit ownership among the Baggies’ backline. If they keep on cleaning up, starting with a home match against Stoke next week, that will surely go on rising. Hegazi is again the most popular defensive target with 62,000+ acquiring his services following the Turf Moor haul.