An largely uninspired encounter, marked by a moment of brilliance from Emre Can. Liverpool’s 1-0 victory was priceless, from a Fantasy perspective, it was notable only for Philippe Coutinho’s early exit. Here’s the Stock Check from the final match of Gameweek 35.
In Decline
Philippe Coutinho
The Brazilian went into Monday’s clash as part of just over a million FPL squads, having been acquired by more than 50,000 new Fantasy Premier League owners ahead of Liverpool’s Vicarage Road visit.
In addition, Coutinho claimed the armband for 122,000 managers who had big expectations having seen the midfielder score in four of his last five Gameweek starts.
But his night lasted less than ten minutes before he suffered a dead leg in a clash with Watford’s Adrian Mariappa; a collision which ultimately led to Coutinho succumbing to the injury on 12 minutes.
His departure saw the re-introduction of Adam Lallana following a five Gameweek absence, but that will have been little consolation for Coutinho’s owners.
Jurgen Klopp confirmed post-match that the injury should not represent a major setback…
“He has a dead leg, hopefully it’s not too serious but of course it’s really painful and no chance [he could continue]. Everybody could see he tried hard, but no chance.”
While he will be expected to be back in contention for the visit of Southampton in Gameweek 36, Coutinho’s single point return at Watford, coupled with any minor doubt of his participation against the Saints, will undoubtedly accelerate sales.
He is already hovering outside the top five for transfers out, with 22,000+ jettisoning Coutinho so far, with traffic moving to both Alexis Sanchez and Eden Hazard in particular.
Roberto Firmino is not far behind his team-mate and compatriot. He went into the Watford encounter having returned in each of his last five Gameweeks, producing two goals and three assists.
Despite that form, his Monday night blank will exacerbate recent sales, with Firmino already ranked fourth behind Coutinho, Son Heung-min and Wilfried Zaha among FPL midfielders.
Quite simply, with Wildcards active, double Gameweek assets are dominant and despite Liverpool’s obliging run-in, both Coutinho and Firmino look set to become unlikely differentials for those without the option of an end of season refresh.
