Liverpool and West Ham began their pre-season campaign on Thursday with mixed implications for Fantasy Premier League managers.
Obviously, we are still at the early stage of summer friendlies so a lot of our observations should be taken with a pinch of salt, to some extent.
However, both of Thursday’s matches threw up talking points that we have to make sure we stay on top of.
Tranmere Rovers 0-6 Liverpool
Goals: Nathaniel Clyne, Rhian Brewster x2, Curtis Jones, Divock Origi (£5.5m), Bobby Duncan
Assists: Brewster, Harry Wilson, James Milner (£5.5m), Ben Woodburn, Paul Glatzel
Jurgen Klopp mostly used the kids as his side began their pre-season campaign with a 6-0 win at Tranmere, a match that featured two Liverpool teams getting 45 minutes each.
However, there were still eight senior players with FPL prices who were involved for the Reds.
Divock Origi (£5.5m) has already been discussed as a potential budget differential for the start of the season as Sadio Mané‘s (£11.5m) involvement at the African Cup of Nations goes on.
The Belgian forward was used as the centre-forward in a front-three for the second 45 minutes and came away with a goal to his name.
He was also credited with his ability to hold the ball up for his wider colleagues.
“Sadio Mané is in the semi-finals [of the AFCON], so that means he has two more games for sure and will come [back] late.” – Jurgen Klopp
With Mané’s Senegal team now the favourites to win the African Cup of Nations, there is definitely a chance that Origi may have to come into the team for him either in the Community Shield or in Gameweek 1.
Furthermore, Roberto Firmino (£9.5m) is also expected back late after his Copa America involvement, as is Mohamed Salah (£12.5m), although their international duty is already over.
“The Brazilians have finally finished their 30-month season, exactly like Mo, and they will come but we will not have a pre-season together, we will only have a week before we start with the games. Tonight it looked like we can find some solutions” – Jurgen Klopp
Either way, Origi will be using pre-season to stake a claim for a place in the Liverpool starting XI so we should continue to keep an eye on him.
Against Tranmere, Joe Gomez (£5.5m) and Joel Matip (£5.5m) both played but not together. One was used in each half, the England international in the first and Cameroon defender Matip in the second.
Both centre-backs have the potential to offer a budget route into the Liverpool defence alongside Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) this season but at this early stage, it is still unclear which it will be.
Dejan Lovren (£5.5m) did not get any minutes although there is plenty of the pre-season campaign left to play.
Fabinho (£5.5m), Adam Lallana (£6.0m), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (£6.5m) and James Milner (£5.5m) were also treated to 45 minutes against Tranmere, the latter claiming an assist.
These players are all likely to be gunning for a place in the starting XI for Gameweek 1, with a particular interest in Oxlade-Chamberlain as he makes his return from injury.
Several options in the central midfield position may struggle to be fit for the start of the new campaign.
Naby Keita‘s (£6.0m) Guinea were knocked out in the second round but the central midfielder also aggravated an adductor injury whilst in Egypt.
Meanwhile, Xherdan Shaqiri (£6.5m) is out for “a while” according to Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool first-half XI (4-3-3): Mignolet; Larouci, Gomez, Phillips, Clyne; Milner, Lallana, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Kent, Brewster, Wilson.
Liverpool second-half XI (4-3-3): Jaros; A Lewis, Matip, Johnston, Hoever; Fabinho, C Jones, Woodburn; Glatzel (Atherton 78′), Origi, Duncan
SCR Altach 2-3 West Ham United
Goals: Carlos Sánchez (£4.5m), Michail Antonio (£7.0m), Issa Diop (£4.5m)
Assists: Robert Snodgrass (£5.5m), Mark Noble (£5.0m), Jack Wilshere (£5.0m)
There is keen interest in who will occupy the number one centre-forward slot at West Ham this season in the wake of Marko Arnautovic’s departure.
Michail Antonio (£7.0m) drew first blood in the race to replace the Austrian as the Hammers began their pre-season campaign in Arnautovic’s homeland.
The FPL midfielder was deployed up front in a 4-2-3-1 formation against SCR Altach and also found the back of the net too.
After Carlos Sánchez (£4.5m) had headed home a Robert Snodgrass (£5.5m) corner, Antonio made it 2-0 with a smart run to fool the Altach defence.
Mark Noble (£5.0m) played a long ball from deep to the pacey attacker, who beat the offside trap, rounded the goalkeeper and slotted home.
Obviously, it is early days in West Ham’s pre-season campaign so we certainly don’t want to encourage interest in Antonio based off one outing.
But is worth making ourselves aware that Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández (£6.0m) may have to hold off competition from him to claim the centre-forward role from him this summer.
Manuel Pellegrini largely went for the approach of two teams per half, making eight changes at half-time.
Just three players were treated to more than an hour of football in Austria.
One of those was new goalkeeper Roberto (£4.5m) who played 76 minutes before being replaced by fellow new recruit David Martin.
Lukasz Fabianski (£5.0m) was one of six players priced up by FPL to have no involvement in the game.
New signing Pablo Fornals (£6.5m) was one of them, while Fabian Balbuena‘s (£4.5m) involvement with Paraguay at the Copa America has delayed his return to the West Ham camp and Arthur Masuaku (£4.5m) is on leave following DR Congo’s elimination from the African Cup of Nations in the second round.
Aaron Cresswell (£5.0m) was left out of the matchday squad for precautionary reasons, while Xande Silva (£4.5m) also played no part.
“It was a good workout. We worked well physically but we conceded two goals, which was too much, but we won, which is the most important thing.” – Issa Diop
“I’m happy to score but obviously it was just a friendly game, so to get a goal is not very important, but we always want to win every game, so of course I am happy about this goal.” – Issa Diop
West Ham XI (4-2-3-1): Roberto (Martin 76′); Fredericks (Zabaleta 45′), Diop (Rice 68′), Ogbonna (Reid 45′), Johnson (Byram 68′); Sanchez (Obiang 45′), Noble (Cullen 45′); Snodgrass (Yarmolenko 45′), Lanzini (Wilshere 45′), Felipe Anderson (Diangana 45′); Antonio (Chicharito 46).
