Eden Hazard stole the show at Anfield on Wednesday night as his incredible individual goal elminated Liverpool from the League Cup.
It was a match which increased the interest in Saturday’s Premier League meeting between the two sides.
In this latest Scout Notes article we’ve had a look at some of the early indications of how that Gameweek 7 show-stopper may go down.
We’ve also got all the Fantasy talking points concerning Arsenal, West Ham, Tottenham and Watford’s cup exploits.
Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea
Goals: Daniel Sturridge (£5.8m) | Emerson Palmieri (£5.3m), Eden Hazard (£11.0m)
Assists: Naby Keita (£7.3m) | Ross Barkley (£5.8m), Cesar Azpilicueta (£6.4m)
The top talking point for Fantasy managers in this match was that Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) and Roberto Firmino (£9.4m) were used only as second-half substitutes. Meanwhile, Sadio Mané (£10.0m) started and played 71 minutes. However, it was Firmino who came on for him, and with Xherdan Shaqiri (£7.1m) playing the full 90 minutes his start in Gameweek 7 still feels safe. Not least because Shaqiri seemed to take the brunt of Jurgen Klopp’s wrath after the full-time whistle.
“I spoke about a free-kick. The last one. Mo was standing wide and a whole bunch of players were in the one direction where we shot the ball. If (Shaqiri) could have played in Mo in a one-on-one situation in the last minute of the game it would have been not too bad. It was only about the free-kick, nothing else. But at 1-0, Shaq was completely alone in the box and maybe you will have to ask him why he didn’t shoot in that situation.” – Jurgen Klopp
Both managers made eight changes for the Anfield meeting with Mané, James Milner (£5.7m), Joel Matip (£4.9m), Cesar Azpiliceuta (£6.4m), Matteo Kovacic (£5.9m) and Willian (£7.4m) the players to retain their places following Gameweek 6.
It was Daniel Sturridge (£5.8m) who opened the scoring against his former club. The striker has now scored in both of his last two starts for Liverpool, having also netted in a Gameweek 1 win over West Ham. His finish against Chelsea was a fantastic hooked shot as he hung in the air to reach the rebound from Naby Keita‘s (£7.3m) shot. While it looks like Firmino remains the first-choice centre-forward, Sturridge is showing he could quite easily take his place in the event of injury or suspension. If that time ever comes, he could prove a steal at £5.8m.
However, Liverpool did look a little disjointed, especially in the first half, as they lined-up with a largely second-string XI. The general consensus seems to be that without Alisson (£5.6m) and Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m), Liverpool lacked the authority at the back to make a defensive stamp on the fixture. Fantasy managers will have to wait until Klopp’s next press conference for the latest update on van Dijk after he was taken off with a knock in Gamweek 6. Dejan Lovren (£4.9m) made his first start since the World Cup but could not stop Chelsea finding the net twice.
Fabinho (£5.6m) was also spanner in the works of Liverpool’s pressing game. The Brazilian appeared to lack the mobility to form part of the midfield three at Anfield, which backs up Klopp’s decision not to involve him too much so far this season. Although, that does call into question the £40 million fee Liverpool paid for him over the summer. Looking at this issue with our Fantasy-tinted glasses, it seems to be good news for Milner. The former England international has been the designated penalty-taker for some time and Fabinho was thought to provide competition in this area. But if, as Klopp has predicted, it will take Fabinho six months to adapt to Liverpool’s style, Milner should stay safely assigned to penalties while he’s on the pitch. He has played 621 minutes of a possible 720 so far this season, and Klopp replaced him with Jordan Henderson (£5.3m) on the hour-mark last night. That suggests he will be recording another start in Gameweek 7.
Popular Fantasy options Andrew Robertson (£6.2m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.1m) played no part in the match with Alberto Moreno (£4.3m) and Nathaniel Clyne (£4.7m) slotting in for them at full-back.
Eden Hazard‘s (£11.0m) exceptional solo goal was what clinched a late win for Chelsea. The Belgian did not start the match but came on for Willian with 34 minutes left to play. His involvement was likely because of Pedro‘s (£6.7m) continued absence through injury. Hazard’s impressive strike will raise expectations for his Premier League meeting with Liverpool on Saturday, although he is likely to be facing a more coherent opponent by that stage. Furthermore, a lot may depend on the fitness of van Dijk.
“I’d like to add something on top of (the claim he is the best in the Premier League), Eden is one of the best players in Europe. He’s one of the best players in the world, for sure. He’s getting better and better. He’s doing things at the right things at the right moment.” – Gianfranco Zola
There was good news for Marcos Alonso (£6.9m) owners, as the left-back was not even on the bench. Emerson Palmieri (£5.3m) made his first start of the campaign and scored from a Ross Barkley (£5.8m) rebound.
The recurring nightmare continued for Andreas Christensen (£5.1m) who, not for the first time in his Chelsea career, was substituted with a knock in the second-half. David Luiz (£5.5m) took his place for the remaining 17 minutes.
It was also another night to forget for Álvaro Morata (£8.9m) who missed two golden opportunities to find the back of the net. His 90-minute display and a night off for Olivier Giroud (£7.8m) should ensure the Frenchman starts in Gameweek 7.
Also of note was a first start of the campaign for Victor Moses (£5.7m). He was deployed on the flanks of the front three, once again showing that he could get a run of games there in the event of injury or suspension to any one of Pedro, Willian or Hazard. His classification as a defender in FPL only furthers his potential for points.
Liverpool XI (4-3-3): Mignolet; Moreno, Lovren, Matip, Clyne; Keita, Fabinho (Salah 87′), Milner (Henderson 60′); Mané (Firmino 71′), Sturridge, Shaqiri.
Chelsea XI (4-3-3): Caballero; Emerson, Christensen (David Luiz 73′), Cahill, Azpilicueta; Kovacic (Kanté 64′), Fabregas, Barkley; Willian (Hazard 56′), Morata, Moses.
Arsenal 3-1 Brentford
Goals: Danny Welbeck x2 (£6.5m), Alexandre Lacazette (£9.5m)
Assists: Matteo Guendouzi (£4.5m), Nacho Monreal (£5.5m), Lucas Torreira (£4.9m)
Alexandre Lacazette (£9.5m) continued his scoring run as Arsenal beat Brentford 3-1 on Wednesday night. The Frenchman has now found the net in three of his last four appearances for the Gunners. The striker is proving popular for Gameweek 7 and has already risen back to £9.5m since scoring against Everton on Sunday. While some involvement in the League Cup may concern owners or put off suitors, he featured only as a second-half substitute. Coming on for promising youngster Emile Smith-Rowe he played just 26 minutes.
Lacazette’s strike partner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.8m) was not involved in the match at all. He was one of nine first-team players who started against Everton to drop out of the XI named to face Brentford. Only Nacho Monreal (£5.5m) and Shkodran Mustafi (£5.4m) kept their places from the side that won 2-0 on Sunday. Aaron Ramsey (£7.4m) and Lucas Torreira (£4.9m) featured as second-half substitutes.
Danny Welbeck (£6.5m) sent a message to manager Unai Emery about his credentials. He scored two of the goals at the Emirates Stadium. However, the fact that he played the full 90 minutes with minimal involvement from Aubameyang and Lacazette shows he will likely warm the bench once more in Gameweek 7. Emery gave this answer when asked if Welbeck had played his way into contention for a start against Watford.
“Each match is very important for the player to show us and show every supporter their performance. Tonight it was a good performance for Danny Welbeck.” – Unai Emery
Brentford’s goal in the 3-1 win means that Arsenal’s clean sheet record stands at just one in eight matches in 2018/19. However, it appears that on this occasion the Gunners’ defence shouldn’t be chastised too much. Emery’s side dominated this match, especially in the first half and Alan Judge’s goal was an excellent curling free-kick.
Petr Cech (£5.0m) seems to become more assured as the Arsenal number one with each match played. Bernd Leno (£4.8m) made just his second start of the campaign on Wednesday night and came close to an embarrassing own-goal early on. He misjudged a back-pass and nearly turned it into his goal. Thankfully for him, he gave away only a corner.
Another player who looks very much out of the first-team picture is Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£7.0m). The Armenian midfielder was not considered fit enough to have any involvement against Everton on Sunday but played all 90 minutes midweek.
It was encouraging to see Sead Kolasinac (£4.9m) named on the bench, although he did not play a part in the match. The Bosnian left-back has been out for several weeks with a knee injury but recently turned to full training. His return into the fold is an intriguing one. His injury has seen his price drop to £4.9m, and if he can put pressure on Monreal to start Premier League matches, he could prove a cost-effective route into Arsenal’s defence with some offensive potential to boot.
Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Leno; Monreal, Holding, Mustafi, Lichtsteiner; Guendouzi, Elneny (Ramsey 84′); Iwobi, Smith-Rowe (Lacazette 64′), Mkhitaryan (Torreira 75′); Welbeck.
West Ham United 8-0 Macclesfield
Goals: Michail Antonio, Robert Snodgrass x2, Lucas Pérez, Ryan Fredericks, Angelo Ogbonna, Grady Diangana x2
Assists: Declan Rice, Aaron Cresswell, Snodgrass x2, Fredericks, Joe Powell x2
As West Ham took part in such a mismatched contest against League Two basement boys Macclesfield Town, there was only so much Fantasy managers could glean from it.
Michail Antonio (£6.8m) was deployed as a centre-forward for the second time in as many matches while there was no fresh update on Marko Arnautovic (£6.9m). Furthermore, Antonio was substituted just before the hour mark suggesting Manuel Pellegrini is preparing him to start up front against Manchester United in Gameweek 7.
Issa Diop (£4.3m) and Pedro Obiang (£4.4m) were the only other two players to keep their places from the 0-0 draw with Chelsea.
Carlos Sánchez (£4.5m) came into the side but had to be replaced by Declan Rice (£4.4m) after picking up an injury in the ninth minute.
“We’ll see tomorrow. He has some pain in his knee, but the doctor tomorrow will see and examine what happened.” – Manuel Pellegrini
Pellegrini admitted that the manner of the win over Macclesfield would give his side confidence ahead of Gameweek 7. However, all can clearly see that hosting a side bottom of League Two without a win in 90 minutes this season is an entirely different prospect to Manchester United.
“Yes, of course maybe the players will be different but for me, the manager, it is so important to see the performance of these players in this game. I always tell them that we need 23 or 24 players in the squad because with only 11 players it’s impossible to have a complete season. At this moment maybe they are playing other games but all of them are waiting for their opportunity and maybe a couple of them will repeat also Saturday.” – Manuel Pellegrini
West Ham United XI (4-3-3): Adrian; Cresswell, Diop, Ogbonna, Fredericks; Snodgrass, Obiang (Coventry 45′), C Sánchez (Rice 9′); L Pérez, Antonio (Powell 61′), Diangana.
Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Watford
Goals: Dele Alli (£9.0m), Erik Lamela (£6.4m) | Isaac Success (£4.5m), Etienne Capoue (£5.0m)
Assists: Moussa Dembélé (£4.9m) | Marc Navarro (£4.3m), Adrian Mariappa (£4.3m)
Harry Kane (£12.4m) finally got some well-earned rest as Tottenham beat Watford on penalties in the League Cup. The England captain has been ever-present for Spurs ever since returning from the World Cup, which has arguably affected his play in 2018/19. A night off for Kane before a favourable fixture against Huddersfield certainly feels ominous currently not in possession of him in FPL.
It was Lucas Moura (£7.4m) who lined up as the centre-forward for the match. Presumably, to preserve him for Gameweek 7, Mauricio Pochettino replaced him with Fernando Llorente (£5.7m) with 20 minutes left of play.
“Always the people that come from the bench you expect them to make an impact. Son and Dembélé were good and then Fernando.” – Mauricio Pochettino
Christian Eriksen (£9.3m) was absent for the cup tie through injury while Kieran Trippier (£6.1m) was rested. The latter has proved popular in the transfer market ahead of Gameweek 7 and he may earn more interest in the coming days. That’s because Serge Aurier (£5.8m) picked up an injury on Wednesday night, which Pochettino was no positive about post-match. A potential long-term absence for the Ivorian international could drastically reduce Trippier’s chances of rotation.
“I don’t believe (it looks positive) [inhales sharply]. In a cross, he felt his quad. Tomorrow we’ll see, but it’s not a good thing.” – Mauricio Pochettino
The fact that Erik Lamela (£6.4m) played the full 90 minutes while Son Heung-min (£8.3m) registered just 26 minutes in the second half suggest the South Korean will be in the starting line-up against Huddersfield.
Dele Alli (£9.0m) converted a first-half penalty with Kane not involved. Whether this indicates he is the second-choice taker is hard to call considering he was the one fouled in this instance. The reason he was handed the captain’s armband was that the match took place in his hometown of Milton Keynes.
“I gave him the armband because I think it was so exciting for him to play here in his own town, in Milton Keynes. It’s difficult to have another possibility to play here in his career in the future and I think today I wanted to provide him with a very good feeling, to not only play but to feel that. Then also for the club to take some photos as the captain of Tottenham because I saw a lot of photos of him in the shirt of Milton Keynes. He feels very proud about that. It was a very good thing for him. I hope he appreciates a lot my gesture.” – Mauricio Pochettino
Ben Davies (£5.7m) owners may be disappointed to hear that he played the entirety of this cup tie. That would suggest that Danny Rose (£5.9m) will start against Huddersfield this weekend.
Goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga (£4.5m) continues to impress as he fills in for the injured Hugo Lloris (£5.4m) and Michel Vorm (£4.9m). He did especially well in the penalty shoot-out.
“Yes. I think he was fantastic and then he showed his character in the penalties. We believe in him and have a lot of faith in him and now it is a special period of course.” – Mauricio Pochettino
Craig Cathcart (£4.5m) was the only Watford player to retain his place in the side as manager Javi Gracia opted to make 10 changes.
He confirmed after the match that he would like to appeal Christian Kabasele‘s (£4.5m) straight card. Ideally, Gracia would like him to be available for the Gameweek 7 trip to Watford but may have to start Adrian Mariappa (£4.3m) if the appeal fails. A defensive absence for Watford could increase interest in Arsenal attackers this weekend, especially with Lacazette in such good form.
Of particular interest was the fact that defender Kiko Femenía (£4.3m) was deployed on the right of midfield in a 4-5-1 formation.
Ben Wilmot and Domingos Quina (£4.4m) were two of the young players who impressed manager Gracia. Isaac Success (£4.5m) led the line in as a lone striker and also earned praise from the Hornets boss.
“For me, the young players have played really well – all of them. If you ask me about Ben or Domingos Quina, young players playing in the middle as midfielders, for me they have played really well. I’m very proud of all of them. I answer about all of the players you ask me but today I’m very proud of all of them. It’s hard, (Isaac Success) scored one goal, did amazing work for the team and I think all of them played well. It’s not easy when they don’t usually play today and keep that level.” – Javi Gracia
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