Arsenal 1-2 Wolves
- Goals: Gabriel (£5.1m) | Pedro Neto (£5.5m), Daniel Podence (£5.4m)
- Assists: Willian (£7.6m) | Leander Dendoncker (£4.8m), Neto
- Bonus points: Neto x3, Podence x2, Gabriel x1
GET WELL SOON RAÚL
Wolves 2-1 win over Arsenal was overshadowed by a sickening injury to Raúl Jiménez (£8.3m), who looks set for an extended period on the sidelines.
The Mexican forward sustained a heavy blow to the head from David Luiz (£5.5m) and required treatment on the pitch for 10 minutes before he was taken to hospital.
On Monday, the club’s official website revealed that Jiménez had fractured his skull and had undergone a successful operation overnight.
“He’s doing a scan now but he’s conscious, he’s OK. We are worried, of course. He speaks, he’s aware, but he’s doing a scan and now we have to have a proper assessment. He’s in good hands.” – Nuno Espirito Santo
“Raul is comfortable following an operation last night, which he underwent in a London hospital. He has since seen his partner Daniela and is now resting. He will remain under observation for a few days while he begins his recovery. The club would like to thank the medical staff at Arsenal, the NHS paramedics, hospital staff and surgeons who, through their skill and early response, were of such help.” – Wolves statement
During his two-and-a-half years at Wolves, Jiménez has fast become a Fantasy cult hero so it goes without saying that everyone at FFScout wishes him a speedy recovery and the best of health.
BACK OF THE NETO
It is to Wolves’ credit that they were able to focus themselves after witnessing such a serious injury befall one of their colleagues.
“We were massively worried when it happened, you knew straight away it was serious. We hope David Luiz is OK as well. It was a horrible clash of heads, this happens in football, but you don’t like to see it. You’ve got to [refocus]. We had 80 minutes left of the game, so you’ve got to. You go and play and hope you get the win for Raul. We had to do it for him, he’s a massive part of this football club, he’s a massive friend to every single one of us in that changing room.” – Conor Coady
Pedro Neto (£5.5m) was the chief of these as he involved himself in both of Wolves’ goals, his 13-point haul making him the club’s top-scoring FPL asset for the season.
In fact, it was also enough to propel the Portuguese international into the top 10 scorers among all midfielders and, crucially, he is also the cheapest among those.
Costing just £5.5m, Neto has offered 9.3 points per million spent in 2020/21, 1.9 more than similar-priced colleague Daniel Podence (£5.4m), who also netted his second goal of the season against Arsenal.
With Liverpool (away) and Chelsea (home) two of Wolves’ next three opponents, and Spurs (home) and Manchester United (away) waiting in Gameweeks 15 and 16, it is a little while until Wolves attackers will be on our radar again.
However, Nuno’s men face Brighton (away), Everton (home) and West Bromwich Albion (home) between Gameweeks 17 and 19, when their attack might become more viable.
At that point, we may have seen enough of Fabio Silva (£5.2m), who replaced Jiménez as the centre-forward on Sunday, to assess his credentials as a Fantasy asset.
PAIN IN THE ARSENAL
Ahead of Gameweek 11’s north London derby, owners of Tottenham assets will have been licking their lips at yet another dire Arsenal performance – although the data is not quite simple enough to warrant an all-out backing of Harry Kane (£10.9m) and Son Heung-min (£9.5m) for the captaincy.
The Gunners offered very little against Wolves and have now lost five of their first 10 league games of the campaign, three of those coming at home now.
Interestingly, Arsenal have fared slightly better away from home so far this season, although only defensively.
They have let in eight league goals across five matches at the Emirates Stadium in 2020/21 so far (1.6 per game) but, having played the same number on the road, Mikel Arteta’s men have given up just four goals (0.8 per game). Over the first 10 Gameweeks, only Spurs themselves and Aston Villa have been so solid away from home.
However, where Arteta has tried to tighten the ship at Arsenal, their attack continues to be nothing short of completely anaemic.
Accordingly, owners of Spurs’ defensive assets might be a little more encouraged considering Arsenal’s key man Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.6m) has just two goals this season and the Gunners themselves have found the net in just two matches since Gameweek 5.
“It’s something that the day I decided to be a coach I knew that one day I would be sacked or leave the football club but I don’t know when that’s going to happen. In this profession, I know it will happen but I never worry about it. My only concern is to get the best out of the players and give the best possible service to the club.” – Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tierney, Gabriel, D Luiz (Holding 46′), Bellerín; Xhaka (Lacazette 80′), Ceballos; Saka, Willock, Willian (Nelson 65′); Aubameyang.
Wolves XI (4-2-3-1): Patrício; Marçal, Coady, Boly, Semedo; Moutinho, Dendoncker; Neto, Podence (Neves 70′), Traoré; Jiménez (F Silva 15′ | Kilman 78′).
Lessons Learned from FPL Gameweek 10
- Crystal Palace 0-2 Newcastle United
- Brighton and Hove Albion 1-1 Liverpool
- Manchester City 5-0 Burnley
- Everton 0-1 Leeds United
- West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Sheffield United
- Southampton 2-3 Manchester United
- Chelsea 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
- Arsenal 1-2 Wolves
- Leicester City 1-2 Fulham
- West Ham United 2-1 Aston Villa
