Everton 2-2 Spurs
- Goals: Gylfi Sigurdsson x2 (£6.8m) | Harry Kane x2 (£11.7m)
- Assists: James Rodríguez (£7.7m), Seamus Coleman (£4.8m) | Tanguy Ndombele (£5.9m)
- Bonus points: Sigurdsson x3, Kane x2, Eric Dier x1 (£4.6m), Hugo Lloris x1 (£5.6m), Rodríguez x1
KANE YOU BELIEVE IT?
Fantasy Premier League managers are waiting for an update on Harry Kane‘s (£11.7m) fitness as he limped off injured in Spurs’ 2-2 draw at Everton on Friday night.
The opening match of Double Gameweek 32 proved to be a mixed evening as the premium forward scored twice but suffered from more ankle pain, an issue that has caused him plenty of grief this season.
José Mourinho and Eric Dier (£4.6m) offered attempts at optimism at full-time although his 359,246 Triple Captainers (the most amassed by one player in a Gameweek this season) might have preferred more positive post-match quotes.
“(Told Spurs fans would be anxious about Kane’s injury) Yeah, me too but I think it’s too early. I think it’s too early to say something. For him to leave the pitch at 2-2 with a couple of minutes to go is obviously because he felt something. Let me be optimistic and believe he has time to recover. Let’s see.” – Jose Mourinho
“I don’t really know much. I don’t have much to say. I don’t want to be stupidly optimistic. At the moment I don’t know. I believe tomorrow we will have more detail. I don’t think he’s crutches but I don’t know.” – José Mourinho
“It’s always worrying when you see him limping because he doesn’t fall over easily. He takes a lot of knocks and gets on with. It’s early days, so we’ll have to see. He’s a tough boy and he’ll do his best.” – Eric Dier
However, it will be the next few days that really tell whether or not Kane will feature in Spurs’ second Double Gameweek 32 match against Southampton.
The press conference for that match is likely to take place on Monday or Tuesday at the earliest while its proximity to the EFL Cup final could also be a factor.
Spurs meet Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, April 25, four days after the Premier League clash with Saints. The latter does seem an ideal opportunity to rest Kane if he has serious issues with his ankle. Still, losing ground in their race for the top four is also something Mourinho may not want to risk either.
HERE COMES THE SON
If Kane is to miss the second match of Double Gameweek 32, all eyes are sure to turn to Son Heung-min (£9.5m) as his potential replacement in the centre-forward role.
However, it must be said the South Korean endured something of a quiet evening at Goodison Park on Friday.
He was actually deployed as a striker in Spurs’ 3-4-1-2 formation anyway but with scant creative spark behind him, Son had very little to do for at least the first hour.
Without Giovani Lo Celso (£6.9m) or Lucas Moura (£6.6m) on the pitch, Son and Kane largely fed on scraps, the former unable to provide his usual creative contributions having been tasked with a striker’s role.
He teed up Tanguy Ndombele (£5.9m) for Spurs first shot in the 25th minute but not manage his first effort inside the box until the 51st when Jordan Pickford (£4.8m) made a decent stop.
It was Kane who fed him down the left-hand side, someone who could be missing for Spurs on Wednesday night.
A few minutes later, Toby Alderweireld (£5.4m) nodded a Son corner over the crossbar but outside of those events there was little to write home about.
His blank at Goodison Park was a fourth in six matches for the premium midfielder so his Double Gameweek 32 meeting with Southampton could be a defining one for his 48.7% ownership.
The South Korean netted four times against Saints in Gameweek 2 but is without a fixture in Blank Gameweek 33 when Spurs participate in the EFL Cup final with Manchester City.
THE NAME’S BOND, JAMES RODRÍGUEZ
Ahead of some appealing fixtures between now and the end of the season, James Rodríguez (£7.7m) continued his impressive home form.
Playing a number 10 role in a 3-5-1-1 formation, he was at the heart of one of Everton’s best performances at Goodison Park this season.
Even without Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.5m), the Toffees produced more shots than in any home league match in 2020/21 against Spurs, Rodríguez coming close to another big haul after his 11-point score in the Gameweek 30 draw with Crystal Palace.
The Colombian international put both Alex Iwobi (£5.9m) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (£6.8m) for decent chances in the opening exchanges before having his own shot saved by a busy Hugo Lloris (£5.6m).
In the closing stages, Rodríguez played an excellent ball into substitute Joshua King (£5.1m) who could have won the game for Everton were it not for another smart Lloris stop.
“We should have won. It was our best performance at home this season. We are disappointed with the result and not the performance. I think we have to keep fighting because we have still possibility to play like tonight. I think we pressed well, forward, aggressive.” – Carlo Ancelotti
“When James came in the play and we had a lot of opportunity. We have to keep the performance and to be able to repeat. Always when he’s fit he’s always influential. He is a player of another level. With the ball he is fantastic. He always has a good pass. Really important for us.” – Carlo Ancelotti
In Double Gameweek 32, Rodríguez’s points came from a Fantasy assist for winning a first-half penalty as well as one bonus.
It means the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich man has supplied nine attacking returns at home this season, the joint-most among Everton players, level with Calvert-Lewin.
Still, it must be highlighted that 81.8% of these goal involvements have occurred at Goodison Park, suggesting upcoming trips to Arsenal, West Ham and Manchester carry less appeal than when Aston Villa, Sheffield United and Wolves come to Merseyside in Gameweeks 34, 36 and 37 respectively.
Meanwhile, Sigurdsson was the top-scoring player on Friday night with his two goals and maximum bonus.
The Icelandic international was helped in his endeavours by his ongoing role in penalties, his latest spot-kick highlighting he is ahead of Rodríguez and Richarlison (£7.9m).
His Friday-night goals were his first attacking returns since Double Gameweek 26, where he supplied a pair of assists across matches against Southampton and West Bromwich Albion.
While Sigurdsson can offer a saving of £1.1m against Rodríguez, he has been less frequently involved in attacking points while on the pitch this season.
He has produced six goals and four assists across 1,735 minutes of Premier League football while his more expensive counterpart has six goals and five assists in 1,601.
Everton XI (3-5-1-1): Pickford; Keane, Godfrey, Holgate; Digne, Allan, Sigurdsson, T Davies (J King 83′), Iwobi (Coleman 60′); Rodríguez; Richarlison.
Tottenham Hotspur XI (3-4-1-2): Lloris; Alderweireld, Rodon, Dier; Reguilón (Moura 63′), Højbjerg, Sissoko, Aurier; Ndombele (Lamela 63′); Son, Kane (Alli 90+3′).
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3 years, 10 days agoVery important day in british history. Kind of glad their arent any relevant fpl games today