Manchester City’s Tuesday teamsheet causes concern for Sergio Aguero owners, while a second-half shambles in Spain could have similar domestic repercussions for Liverpool’s Alberto Moreno.
Big-hitting Spurs duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli, however, find some much-needed form on a generally satisfactory night for English teams in Europe.
Here are the notes from last night’s three Champions League matches.
Aguero poised for another bench role
No fewer than six of this week’s current top 30 most sold players are from Man City as Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers grow ever more tired of Pep Guardiola’s rotation policy.
The coach had made it clear that some of those who started last night’s Champions League tie with Feyenoord were unlikely to do the same come Sunday, away to Huddersfield Town.
So the 100,000+ who have acted early to ditch Sergio Aguero ahead of Gameweek 13 could be excused a moment of smugness as the Argentine played the full 90 minutes of the 1-0 win over the Dutch.
But those who sold on David Silva (38,000+), Gabriel Jesus (18,000+) and Leroy Sane (17,000+) have no such luxury.
Of that trio, only the Brazilian striker made it onto the pitch – and that was after 64 minutes – as City were confirmed winners of Group F thanks to a late goal from Raheem Sterling.
All three look highly likely to start Sunday’s trip to Huddersfield and, in fact, only Silva is currently enduring a net transfer deficit ahead of what looks to be a plum away fixture.
The fate of Sterling, whose goal came from a fine give-and-go with Ilkay Gundogan, is less clear, while that of Kevin De Bruyne, who is enjoying an ownership increase this week, might well have been simplified by a caution picked up against the Dutch.
The midfielder has started every league and European match for City this season, but will now be suspended for the early December trip to Shakhtar Donetsk that completes their Group F commitments.
That fixture, a dead rubber for Guardiola’s men, is sandwiched between a visit from West Ham and a trip to Man United.
At the back, Guardiola went with a Nicolas Otamendi/Eliaquim Mangala central defensive partnership, which surely ensures Vincent Kompany’s start at the John Smith’s Stadium, with the Frenchman making way.
Guardiola can’t always be trusted when it comes to rotation, but Aguero’s full shift last night – and the fact that Jesus has started every away match in the league thus far – doesn’t bode well for the Argentine’s immediate prospects.
A reminder that on Monday, the City boss brought us this latest insight on his selection policy with his two central strikers, indicating that, with Bernard Mendy sidelined, he feels forced to choose between the pair.
“They [Aguero & Jesus] have a lot of games and they have to be ready. It is the toughest decision. When you have Mendy, he can play wide and the winger can go inside. Fabian Delph cannot do that. Without Mendy, Leroy Sane has to go wide, which is why they don’t play together.”
That quote is significant, not only for confirming the continued rotation of Aguero and Jesus, but also in reaffirming Sane’s status as almost “untouchable” in the starting XI while Mendy is ruled out.
The left-back is set to be sidelined until April, though Guardiola will doubtless move for cover in the January transfer window.
Sane’s absence from last night’s squad provides further evidence that Guardiola is protecting the German for the now higher priority Premier League fixtures.
Moreno awaits Sevilla consequences
Liverpool would have joined City as Champions League group winners with victory in Seville.
And 30 minutes into the match, that was most definitely on the cards as the Reds raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to a brace from Roberto Firmino and one from Sadio Mane.
But a shambolic display the other side of the interval means that Jurgen Klopp’s men will now need to win their final Group E tie, at home to Spartak Moscow, to confirm top spot.
Liverpool’s blistering start in Spain, aided by assists from both goalscorers and Georginio Wijnaldum, should have had Klopp working out who to rest in early December, with his side facing a trip to Brighton and then the Merseyside derby either side of that match with the Russians.
Now, he might have to roll the dice in the Brighton fixture to ensure his best team is fit and firing for the two huge matches that follow.
One regular who might be missing regardless is left-back Alberto Moreno, who produced a second-half horror show on his return to his former club.
The Spaniard has started all but two of Liverpool’s league fixtures this season, and his 4.6 bargain basement price has prompted a doubling of his FPL ownership since Gameweek 9.
But Moreno has never been entirely dependable defensively and he was at fault for the first two of Sevilla’s comeback goals before James Milner replaced him on 63 minutes.
That prompted a lull in proceedings before Liverpool wasted good opportunities to seal the victory and their hosts punished them with a late equaliser.
As well as his price, Moreno’s appeal has lain in the Reds’ resilience at home – all five of their league clean sheets have come at Anfield.
A visit from Chelsea on Saturday evening will be a severe test of that obduracy, and Liverpool will then spend the next two Gameweeks on the road. Should Klopp look to try and shore things up at the back, the 4.5%-owned Moreno is the obvious scapegoat.
The return of Joe Gomez, coupled with Trent Alexander- Arnold’s impressive performance against Southampton, may also indicate that Klopp has tweaked his rotation policy at right-back. His selection against Chelsea will tell us more.
There are no such uncertainties up front.
Although Mohamed Salah experienced a rare barren match in which he squandered two excellent opportunities to score, Mane made it a goal and three assists since his Gameweek 11 return from injury, while Firmino now has three goals and two assists from his last four starts in all competitions.
Playmaker Philippe Coutinho had a quiet night and was replaced by Emre Can after 63 minutes, before Salah made way for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with three minutes left.
Big guns fire for Spurs
Spurs shook off their north London derby woes with a 2-1 win in Dortmund that confirmed top spot in Group H with a match to spare.
Harry Kane and Dele Alli struggled in the 2-0 loss at the Emirates, but both returned to form in a fine second-half comeback.
Alli set up his England colleague for the equaliser before repeating the trick as Son Heung-min curled home the winner.
Spurs will now entertain Apoel Nicosia in an early December dead rubber that should involve major changes in personnel, ensuring Mauricio Pochettino’s first-choice team can start the trip to Watford and the home match with Stoke City that bookend the European tie.
Both Kane and Alli were subbed off towards the end of the match, replaced by Fernando Llorente and Mousa Dembele respectively, while Christian Eriksen played 85 minutes before Moussa Sissoko came on.
The Dane, however, experienced another blank – he’s neither scored nor assisted since Gameweek 8 – and he continues to leak owners, with more than 86,000 getting rid this week alone.
Kane and Alli have also seen their ownership dip, with the midfielder’s base dropping below the million mark for the first time this season ahead of the Arsenal defeat.
But their improved second-half showing might give managers pause for thought ahead of a home match with West Brom on Saturday.
Indeed, Spurs schedule from now until the end of January is a strong one, with a Gameweek 18 trip to Man City the only cloud on the horizon.
That could spare more turbulence in Kane’s ownership – he lost more than 620,000 managers prior to Gameweek 10, only to recoup most of them the following week – as our quest for a default captain option continues to be hampered by patchy form (three straight league blanks) and Aguero’s rotation issues.
6 years, 5 months agoBrady + Kun + Tammy -> Pogba + Morata + C.Wilson for a hit?