Double Gameweek 28 came to a dramatic conclusion with a seven-goal thriller on Wednesday night.
We pick the bones out of Bournemouth’s 4-3 win over Luton Town in our Scout Notes.
ANOTHER ‘DENNIS’ DODGED
So, then, all’s well that ends well. Sort of.
Saturday’s farce, in which all of the well-owned Bournemouth and Luton players dodged any sort of return, can be laid to rest.
Dominic Solanke (£7.2m) just about avoided following Emmanuel Dennis into the Double Gameweek Hall of Shame. Midfield punts Ross Barkley (£5.0m) and Antoine Semenyo (£4.5m) found the net, the latter twice. Alfie Doughty (£4.7m) delivered yet another assist. Even Illia Zabarnyi (£4.5m), without a single club goal in three years, got on the scoresheet.
It wasn’t all sunshine and roses. The two goalkeepers ended up with the equivalent of two lots of appearance points. So too did Carlton Morris (£5.2m), the second most bought player of Gameweek 29.
Scooping the ‘Razzie’ was Milos Kerkez (£4.4m), who ended up on a big fat zero after following up a halftime withdrawal on Saturday by warming the bench in midweek.
Above: The effective ownership and scores of select Bournemouth and Luton players in Gameweek 28, via LiveFPL
ADVANTAGE FOREST?
The manner of Luton’s defeat will be the hardest to take. Three-nil up at half-time, they conceded four after the interval. There’s something of the Keegan-era Newcastle about them, albeit with the “You score three, we‘ll score four” ideology the wrong way around.
Now, they have to dust themselves down and go again on Saturday. That’ll be easier said than done. It’s not just the mental exhaustion but also the physical toll, with less than 72 hours to recover. Rob Edwards was without 10 players at the Vitality Stadium and may have lost an 11th in Tahith Chong (£5.1m), who was in visible pain with an arm injury that forced him off. None of the post-match interviews we’ve seen made mention of Chong’s condition.
The Hatters’ bench on Wednesday contained two goalkeepers, three teenage rookies and a midfielder in Luke Berry (£4.6m) who has never started a Premier League game. Many of same players will have to face a relatively rested Nottingham Forest this weekend.
Luton are in real crisis at the back, with Daiki Hashioka (£4.0m) – more commonly a right wing-back – used as a left-sided centre-half against Bournemouth. The hosts were very much targeting that side, the ball being repeatedly pinged out to Semenyo. Given that an advanced Doughty and Barkley didn’t offer much protection, it was a successful tactic.
SEMENYO V LUTON
| Total (rank) | |
| Touches in the final third | 38 (1st) |
| Touches in the final box | 11 (1st) |
| Shots | 5 (1st) |
| Shots in the box | 4 (1st=) |
| Chances created | 3 (2nd=) |
Whoever gets the nod down the right for Nottingham Forest could have a field day in Gameweek 29. It’s typically Anthony Elanga (£5.1m) but Divock Origi (£5.0m) has seen minutes there in recent weeks.
At least we know the Hatters will have a go at the other end of the pitch: they’ve now scored in 16 successive league games. Doughty made it nine attacking returns in 14 matches with his assist, while Chong has delivered a goal or assist in four of his last five starts.
A REST FOR THE CHERRIES
We won’t see Bournemouth again until Gameweek 30, as they’re without a league or cup match this weekend.
The immediate fixtures are decent on paper, too, for anyone carrying Cherries assets into the international break and beyond.
Everton and Crystal Palace should be tougher nuts to crack defensively: they’re ranked seventh and fifth for expected goals conceded (xGC). Only the top three have conceded fewer actual goals than the Toffees.
But there is a rematch with Luton on the horizon, plus the guarantee of another Double Gameweek.
Solanke encouragingly got through 180 minutes in Double Gameweek 28, despite the ongoing injury concern. He now has 17 days to rest his troublesome knee before he goes again. It didn’t hinder his movement for Bournemouth’s opening strike, which was a Goal of the Month contender.
Marcus Tavernier (£5.5m) and Justin Kluivert (£4.6m), benched here, will hope to have immediate starting XI reprieves in Gameweek 30. They were both thrown on at the interval at 3-0 down, with Tavernier in particular impressing.
The concern would be the defence, with the left side looking open without the injured Lloyd Kelly (£4.5m) and Marcos Senesi (£4.6m). The consolation for Kerkez owners was that makeshift full-back Dango Ouattara (£4.7m) was all at sea in the first half. Perhaps Kerkez, too, regains his spot, if Kelly is still out.
1 month, 23 days agoSolanke, no thankee!