Spurs had to hold off a spirited comeback from Wolves to win at Molineux on Saturday evening.
Harry Kane finally got back in the FPL points while Kieran Trippier continued to show the consistency his captain has been lacking.
Meanwhile, it was a frustrating evening for those invested in Wolves, with the exception of those in possession of Raúl Jiménez.
In this final Scout Notes article of Gameweek 11, we go over the key Fantasy talking points from the match.
Wolves 2-3 Spurs
Goals: Ruben Neves (£5.0m), Raúl Jiménez (£5.7m) | Erik Lamela (£6.4m), Lucas Moura (£7.2m), Harry Kane (£12.4m)
Assists: Jiménez, Jonny (£4.5m) | Kieran Trippier (£6.3m), Son Heung-min (£8.3m)
Kieran Trippier (£6.3m) demonstrated his credentials as a Fantasy asset once again as Spurs held on to beat Wolves on Saturday evening. Despite his side losing their clean sheet in the 68th minute, the England international had already added a fourth assist of the campaign. In his first ten league appearances of 2018/19, Trippier has delivered either one of either defensive or offensive returns on seven occasions. That fact should see him remain popular as Spurs travel to Crystal Palace in Gameweek 12. How his 33.6% ownership will react to Gameweek 13 and 14 match-ups with Chelsea and Arsenal will be interesting.
Harry Kane (£12.4m) finally found the net for the first time since Gameweek 7. Statistically, it was a performance more in keeping with what we saw of him last season as he finished the Molineux encounter with more shots than any other player on the pitch. It is perhaps too soon to tell whether the Spurs man is ready to break back into the so-called FPL template though. He has taken 17 shots in the last four Gameweeks but eight of those were at Molineux, with nine others spread across the previous three matches for an average of just three per game.
Erik Lamela (£6.4m) scored his fourth goal of the season, a second in his last three starts. With plenty of fluctuation among ownership of mid-price midfield options, his form may cause some sales in the coming days. However, whether or not his start is secure is still up in the air. Christian Eriksen (£9.2m) came into the game as a second-half substitute again as he slowly recovers from an abdominal injury and could be back in the starting XI soon. Furthermore, Dele Alli (£8.9m) was left out of the matchday squad to give him a rest but he has been declared fit to face PSV in the Champions League this week.
“Dele is fit to be selected tomorrow, yes.” – Mauricio Pochettino
However, the injury situation in central midfield is continuing to cause problems for Mauricio Pochettino. Mousa Dembélé (£4.9m) was forced off with an ankle injury just seven minutes into the match. He was replaced by Son Heung-min (£8.3m).
“We need to wait today until after the scan to have a better idea. The most important thing is (Dembélé) didn’t suffer an injury to his bone and that is good. Maybe his ligament is damaged but we need to know, after the scan, we will know better.” – Mauricio Pochettino
There was a Premier League debut for 20-year-old Juan Foyth (£5.0m), who started at centre-back despite Davinson Sánchez (£5.8m) available on the bench. He was largely untroubled for the first-half, coping well with Wolves’ offensive capabilities, but he endured a second-half to forget. Foyth conceded two penalties within the space of 11 minutes of each other. Whether or not he will retain his place for Gameweek 12 is in the hands of Pochettino, but Lamela felt he played well.
“He was a bit angry because but I told him ‘Juan, relax, you did an amazing game’. For me, he had an amazing game. It’s so difficult when you haven’t played for a long time and he’s played two games in three days. I’m so happy for him because he’s starting to show his quality and I told him, for me, tonight he was amazing. The penalties… sometimes the defenders are there and have to defend and he was unlucky.” – Erik Lamela
The ever-increasing ownership of Matt Doherty (£4.9m) were hugely frustrated on Saturday night as he was wrongfully denied an assist for a first-half Raúl Jiménez (£5.7m) goal. He was adjudged to be in an offside position when he flicked the ball on to his Mexican colleague, who found the back of the net, but subsequent replays showed this to be an incorrect decision.
“I saw it. I think everybody saw it. It was an incorrect decision. It’s a tough job, we know, but everybody saw it. That goal could change everything, you don’t know, but we have to move on.” – Nuno Espirito Santo
Following back-to-back double-figure haul in Gameweeks 7 and 8, Doherty has not registered more than two points in a match since. However, there is still plenty to be positive about with the Wolves right-back. In the last four Gameweeks, West Ham’s Fabian Balbuena (£4.4m) is the only defender to have registered more shots than him, while nobody else in his position has racked up more accurate efforts on goal in that time. A Gameweek 12 trip to Arsenal could prove another stiff test for Doherty and Wolves but his owners can look forward to back-to-back matches against Huddersfield (home) and Cardiff (away) immediately after that.
Ruben Neves (£5.0m) got his first FPL returns since the opening weekend as he dispatched the first of two penalties on the night for Wolves. However, his already dwindling Fantasy appeal took another hit after Jiménez stepped up to convert the second one. It was a performance from the Mexican that suggested he can offer value, especially when the fixtures ease for Wolves. Kane was the only player to register more shots and accurate goal attempts in Saturday evening’s encounter.
While it was a third successive defeat for Wolves, manager Nuno has insisted that not much will change about his side. The only alteration to the side that lost at Brighton was that Ivan Cavaleiro (£5.3m) came in on the left-wing for Adama Traoré (£5.4m).
“We keep the same routines like we do before. We are focused on the how. If one aspect of the game is not achieved, we have to go to the pitch and try to produce – over and over again. Repetition is the best, I believe. We have a how and this is the most important thing we have – how we do things. How we do it, it’s our way, our style, our ideas, with our principles, with our mistakes that we have to correct. We will keep on moving in the way since day one – when we came here.” – Nuno Espirito Santo
However, competition for places intensified after Saturday’s performance as youngster Morgan Gibbs-White (£4.3m) came on for his fourth substitute’s appearance of the season. He replaced the highly experienced Joao Moutinho (£5.5m) and his impressive performance was one of the key factors in Wolves’ spirited late fight-back. The 18-year-old was one of a member of the England team that won the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 and has a bright future ahead of him.
“He came on and injected some energy. He’s got that ability, he goes past people with ease. He’s a confident lad. It’s tough because he hasn’t played as much as those who are older or a bit more experienced, but everyone can see when he does come on, the energy and enthusiasm he’s got. His quality is undoubted, he’s proved that for the past couple of years, he was involved last year and this year, he won the World Cup, he’s stepped up in the England age groups too. It’s only a matter of time before we start seeing him on a regular basis.” – Ryan Bennett
Wolves XI (3-4-3): Patrício; Boly, Coady, Bennett; Jonny, Neves, Moutinho (Gibbs-White 62′), Doherty; Cavaleiro (Bonatini 62′), Jiménez, Costa (Traoré 84′).
Spurs XI (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Davies, Alderweireld, Foyth, Trippier; Dembélé (Son 7′ | Eriksen 59′), Winks; Moura (D Sánchez 79′), Lamela, Sissoko; Kane.
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