WATFORD 0-0 SPURS
Goals: None
Assists: None
Penalty misses: Troy Deeney (£6.2m)
Penalty saves: Paulo Gazzaniga (£4.6m)
Bonus Points: Gazzaniga x3, Ben Foster x2 (£4.9m), Toby Alderweireld (£5.3m)
Paulo Gazzaniga (£4.6m) saved a poor Troy Deeney (£6.2m) penalty to ensure the weekend’s opening game remained goalless.
Deeney went into the match against Spurs having scored four times from eight occasions since returning from a knee operation but his 69th-minute spot-kick was only just off-centre and comfortable for Gazzaniga.
It was another good point for Watford and ensured Ben Foster (£4.9m) kept his fifth clean sheet in the same run of eight games, whilst disappointing the owners of Dele Alli (£8.6m), Son Heung-min (£9.8m) and Lucas Moura (£7.1m) by making it three games without a goal for Jose Mourinho’s side.
In a first half of few chances, the best fell to Lucas in the 38th minute when some excellent midfield play from Alli set the Brazilian through on goal but he was unable to lift it over the onrushing Foster.
Soon after, Deeney had a header in plenty of space after Nathaniel Chalobah (£4.4m) lifted the ball up. Because there was a lack of angle and not enough pace on the pass, Deeney couldn’t trouble the goalkeeper.
Watford had only scored nine times in their first 17 games and found themselves seemingly adrift at the bottom of the table until Nigel Pearson was appointed manager. Now, they attack with confidence and purpose, with Ismaila Sarr (£6.2m) looking a constant threat on the right-hand side.
He terrorised make-shift left-back Japhet Tanganga (£4.0m) in the first half, leading to an early yellow card for last week’s debutant after forcing a collision once his missed header set Sarr free.
The young defender may have been given a lesson on this occasion but he enters FPL at the lowest price and was part of Spurs’ third clean sheet of the season. Facing Norwich at home next week could swiftly add a fourth, making him an interesting option for those wanting rid of Diego Rico (£4.4m) or Martin Kelly (£4.4m).
New signing Sarr caused havoc and created chances for Gerard Deulofeu (£6.1m) and Abdoulaye Doucoure (£5.6m), where the latter really should have scored from inside the six-yard box.
With the Hornets unbeaten in six games, the upturn in form has projected itself onto assets like Sarr and Doucoure. Chalobah plays alongside Etienne Capoue (£4.8m), freeing up Doucoure to score twice and set up two more in the last four matches. Having brought in 12 and 11 attacking returns in the last two seasons, the Frenchman could be the best option amongst the lack of cheaper midfield candidates.
Sarr missed a golden opportunity after failing to get a firm strike on Deeney’s header and he was taken off late in the game, after seemingly hurting his hamstring whilst sprinting back to help the defence.
Mourinho again opted to use Lucas as a striker in Harry Kane’s (£10.9m) absence but, apart from the first half one-on-one with Foster, his only other big moment came right at the start when he was standing next to a clear Craig Cathcart (£4.3m) handball. His arm was flailing but neither the referee nor VAR gave a Spurs penalty.
Their system allows Serge Aurier (£5.0m) to be an attacking right-back and therefore Son has to stay extremely wide to contribute Spurs’ left-sided width. He had a big chance mid-way through the second half, sprinting forward to collect a through call but firing his shot narrowly over the bar.
“We had a lot of attacking players on the pitch. Apart from the four defenders, where Serge Aurier is more of a winger than a defender, we had only attacking players.” – Jose Mourinho
Earlier, he found himself on the right-hand side to deliver a great cross for Alli but the header was surprisingly off-target. Later substituted for Christian Eriksen (£8.6m), Alli’s sixth blank in seven games means his new manager bounce has well and truly ended.
Aurier was a threat going forward and his stoppage-time cross almost set up a winner, the ball eventually creeping to the goal line until Watford’s new signing Ignacio Pussetto (£5.0m) introduced himself to English football with a dramatic clearance. Replays showed the ball was millimetres away from being fully over the line.
Upcoming fixtures are a mixed bag for Spurs, who also gave a debut cameo to Gedson Fernandes (£5.0m). They host Norwich on Wednesday, before going against Man City and travelling to Chelsea soon after. Watford have Aston Villa (away), Everton (home) and Brighton (away) before the February break.
Watford XI (4-3-3): Foster; Masina, Cathcart, Dawson, Mariappa; Capoue, Doucoure, Chalobah (Pereyra 79’); Deulofeu, Deeney, Sarr (Pussetto 89’)
Spurs XI (4-2-3-1): Gazzaniga; Tanganga, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Aurier; Winks, Lo Celso (Fernandes 80’); Lamela, Alli (Eriksen 73’), Son; Lucas Moura
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Arsenal 1-1 Sheffield United
Goals: Gabriel Martinelli (£4.5m) | John Fleck (£4.9m)
Assists: Bukayo Saka (£4.5m) | Billy Sharp (£5.6m)
Bonus Points: Fleck x3, Martinelli x2, Enda Stevens (£5.1m)
John Fleck (£4.9m) equalised to grab a deserved draw for Sheffield United at the Emirates Stadium, as they continue to defy expectations on their first season back in the top flight.
18-year-old Gabriel Martinelli (£4.5m) scored the opener for Arsenal, his ninth goal of the season in all competitions proving he is able to deputise for suspended Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.7m). On the other hand, supporters must be concerned by the barren streak of Alexandre Lacazette (£9.3m), which has extended to five Premier League starts.
Martinelli linked up well in the first half with Nicolas Pépé (£9.1m). It speaks volumes that the former Lille man is Arsenal’s top-scoring FPL midfielder yet began the weekend only 41st in that position’s rankings. After receiving the ball from Lacazette, Pépé floated an early cross to Martinelli that bobbled wide. The same combination then saw Pépé dribble inside and slipped in a promising through ball but it was blazed over.
“In the Premier League, if you don’t put the game to bed then in the last 10 or 15 minutes this type of team just need a long ball, a second ball, a set-piece, and you can give the points away. That’s it.” – Mikel Arteta
Their eventual goal didn’t need the Ivorian’s help. Nice interplay on the edge of the box found its way to temporary left-back Bukayo Saka (£4.5m). He dug out a cross from the left for Martinelli to calmly side-foot past Dean Henderson (£4.9m) from close range.
Aubameyang’s suspension only covers one more league game, making it difficult to identify an outstanding Arsenal asset for their promising run of games from Gameweeks 25-32. In it, they only face only one top half team.
The stand-out option definitely won’t be a defender. Only Norwich and Spurs have kept fewer clean sheets, whilst opponents Sheffield Utd sit joint top with eight. That is partly why John Lundstram (£5.1m) has 47.5% ownership, although the box-to-box midfielder showcased his attacking tendencies with a speculative shot after a Blades’ corner. He was then replaced by Callum Robinson (£5.0m).
Fleck made it 1-1 in the 83rd minute with a deflected shot that flew past Bernd Leno (£5.0m) into the top corner. His five goals have all occurred in the past 12 matches and he is the second-highest scoring midfielder below £5.5m. With many managers needing a cheap enabler in order to grab Sergio Aguero (£11.8m) or double-up on attacking Liverpool assets, Fleck has a wonderful run of fixtures following their meeting with Man City.
Three of the following five games will be home matches against Bournemouth, Brighton and Norwich alongside a trip to Aston Villa. Unfortunately, Lys Mousset (£4.7m) doesn’t have the stability of guaranteed minutes to be a realistic alternative, as his 56th-minute removal meant Sheffield Utd’s joint top scorer has only played more than 65 minutes on four occasions.
He was the only change to Chris Wilder’s starting line-up and missed two big chances early on. Both headers, the second was flagged offside but would probably have been given the green light by VAR.
Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Leno; Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, David Luiz, Saka; Torreira, Xhaka, Özil; Pépé, Martinelli, Lacazette (Nketiah 74’).
Sheffield Utd XI (3-5-2): Henderson; Basham (Besic 77’), Egan, O’Connell; Baldock, Lundstram (Robinson 67’), Norwood, Fleck, Stevens; McBurnie, Mousset (Sharp 56’).
4 years, 3 months agoBest midfielder up to 6.8 except Grealish?