Burnley claim a narrow Monday night victory over Newcastle in an uninspiring match which rewards investors in the Clarets defence.
Here’s the Scout Notes from the final encounter of Gameweek 10…
Pope shines once again
Many Fantasy managers went into the Turf Moor clash hoping for clean sheets all round, with Newcastle United’s goalkeeper Rob Elliot the most owned player on show as part of 26.4% of squads.
But it was his opposite number who caught the eye.
Nick Pope has made six starts for Burnley since replacing skipper Tom Heaton against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 4. Over that time, Pope has made 31 saves, gathering seven save points and six bonus – more than any other FPL goalkeeper.
Another five saves accompanied last night’s display, as Pope picked up two bonus points via Burnley’s fourth clean sheet of the campaign.
Priced at 4.5 and with encouraging fixtures to come (sou SWA ARS bou lei WAT STK), Pope sits second in our current Watchlist rankings, just behind Elliot, the 4.2 option. He looks the go-to candidate for those looking to spend more than the Magpies stopper.
Indeed, Pope and Elliot work surprisingly well as a pairing, offering effective rotation until Gameweek 20.
Mee excels in Clarets back four
It was Ben Mee who picked up the maximum bonus points from Monday’s shut-out.
The centre-back top-scored for clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI) with 15 and even supplied a key pass to score 32 in the Bonus Points System (BPS).
That left the rest of the Clarets back four trailing, though Matt Lowton shared two bonus points with Pope on 31 in the BPS.
Both Mee and fellow central defender James Tarkowski – also 4.5 – are in the top three defenders for CBI with Brighton’s Shane Duffy.
However, Mee looks to have the edge in the BPS having made 47 recoveries to Tarkowski’s 27. He also boasts 10 shots on goal, with nine in the box compared with his centre-back partner’s five efforts.
Stephen Ward still tops the Burnley ranks for bonus points on seven and leads the way in total BPS, though he has previously relied on open play crosses and key passes to stand out. He was subdued in that respect on Monday night, with just two failed crosses and one key pass supplied.
Little joy for Newcastle attack
Rafa Benitez will surely have concerns on his side’s failure to break down the Burnley defence.
Indeed, while the Magpies have amassed a reasonable 46 shots over the last four Gameweeks, they are the only team to have failed to conjure a single big chance – or gilt-edged opportunity – over that period.
This hardly promotes investment in their attacking assets, with both Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu fading rapidly as fourth midfielder solutions. The pair boast just one assist apiece from their last five outings.
Meanwhile, Joselu has struggled to compete as a cut-price third striker option. He has registered five shots from his last four Gameweek starts, with just one effort on target – the rather fortunate strike against Liverpool in Gameweek 7.
