We run the rule over seven pre-season friendlies involving Premier League clubs on Tuesday, picking out the main talking points on the field and off it.
Leeds United were also in action at Guiseley but not one of their players listed in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) took part, so we have opted against a write-up of that game.
Don’t forget to check out our comprehensive pre-season page for more information on the warm-up matches taking place ahead of Gameweek 1.
MANCHESTER CITY 2-0 PRESTON NORTH END
- Goals: Riyad Mahrez (£9.0m), Sam Edozie
- Assists: Morgan Rogers, James McAtee
The first of Manchester City’s two pre-season friendlies featured only a smattering of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) assets as youth took centre stage at the Academy Stadium.
Despite only just returning to training a day before the game, Nathan Ake (£5.0m), Joao Cancelo (£6.0m) and Ruben Dias (£6.0m) were part of a fairly strong backline against North End.
But Riyad Mahrez (£9.0m) was the only attack-minded FPL asset on show at the Academy Stadium, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne (£12.0m), Raheem Sterling (£11.0m), Phil Foden (£8.0m) and Gabriel Jesus (£8.5m) yet to return from their belated post-season breaks.
The Algerian curled home a first-half free-kick, with teenager Sam Edozie doubling the lead after the interval.
Pep Guardiola discussed his side’s disrupted pre-season after full-time and seemed to suggest that City would have a weakened team out at Wembley for the Community Shield – presumably meaning that Sterling and co will be heading into Gameweek 1 without having played in over a month.
With a full pre-season under his belt and his positional rivals returning late, Mahrez is surely a very strong bet to start in Gameweek 1 at the very least.
Guardiola said:
We have had to adapt, with just three or four players from the first team. Every week there are players coming. Hopefully they can come back and they can train and don’t have to rest or be isolated. I know we don’t have time because in 11 days we have the Community Shield with just three players but we’re going to play with the players [from the] second team and we’re going to try.
For everybody, after a tough season… we needed rest – mentally. The managers and the backroom staff we have time but the players who were in [EURO 2020], they didn’t have time, that’s why they have to rest three or four weeks.
Manchester City XI: Steffen (Slicker 65, Steffen 78)), Cancelo (Moreno 45), Dias (Sandler 45), Ake (Edozie 45), Mendy (Couto 45), Fernandinho (Gomes 45), Pozo (Burns 45), Rogers (McAtee 45), Knight (Bolton 45), Palmer (Roberts 45), Mahrez (Smith 45)
BOURNEMOUTH 1-2 CHELSEA
- Goals: Armando Broja, Ike Ugbo
- Assists: Baba Rahman, Ross Barkley (£5.5m)
Chelsea’s first pre-season friendly in front of the cameras saw the Blues come from behind to win on the south coast.
The scorers will be of little interest to Fantasy managers – Armando Broja turning in a Baba Rahman cross before Ike Ugbo headed in a Ross Barkley (£5.5m) corner – but there were one or two notable names on show.
Thomas Tuchel stuck with his trusty 3-4-2-1 for this encounter, although switched to a 3-5-2 after the break.
A sharp-looking Hakim Ziyech (£7.5m), who previously hit a hat-trick in a training ground friendly, was the pick of Chelsea’s strong-ish front three, with Tammy Abraham (£6.5m) getting into some decent positions but ultimately wasteful.
Two-thirds of the 21 players on show hadn’t previously featured under Tuchel and perhaps only Edouard Mendy (£6.0m), Ziyech and Christian Pulisic (£8.0m) will be turning out for the Blues with any sort of regularity in 2021/22.
Tuchel said of his move to two up top:
It suits Armando and Ike better as double strikers. They had the two chances and they took them. This is what they do and now they have to continue.
It was good, and necessary to turn the game around. It’s a much better feeling to win games and to continue from there, than to lose and worry or be sad and angry.
There is now a training group of 28 or 29 which is a huge group, and players are coming back in the near future, so we have to make some decisions.
Chelsea XI: Kepa (Mendy 46), Sterling (Miazga 46), Baker (Chalobah 46), Sarr (Clarke-Salter 46), Hudson-Odoi (Zappacosta 63), Drinkwater (Loftus-Cheek 46), Gallagher, Alonso (Baba 63), Ziyech (Barkley 46), Abraham (Ugbo 63), Pulisic (Broja 46).
CARDIFF CITY 0-4 SOUTHAMPTON
- Goals: Theo Walcott (£6.0m), Moussa Djenepo (£5.5m), Che Adams (£7.0m) x2
- Assists: Michael Obafemi (£4.5m), Ibrahima Diallo (£4.5m), Nathan Tella (£5.0m) x2
James Ward-Prowse (£6.5m) and Stuart Armstrong (£6.0m) missed Southampton’s second pre-season friendly of the summer due to injury but boss Ralph Hasenhuttl downplayed the severity of the pair’s issues when interviewed after a 4-0 hammering of Cardiff City.
Hasenhuttl said:
Prowsey has a little problem with the knee. We won’t take any risks, give him some time to recover. Stu is the same, he’s back tomorrow on the pitch.
The Southampton boss was a content man after full-time on Tuesday, hailing his squad’s pre-season preparations and picking out Che Adams (£7.0m) and Nathan Tella (£5.0m) – who combined for the final two goals of the game – for praise:
A few players have shown that they are very far in their performance. This is important. I think after the first three weeks, where we have worked very hard, they are going a bit longer now. Some have played 90 minutes tonight and others will get their chance at the weekend.
We are exactly at the point of pre-season where we want to be, physically and tactically. A few things to do, but we are well prepared for the first game.
Chè and Nathan are really working good together. It’s good when they are showing up.
Budget midfielder Tella was the pick of the bunch in his half-hour cameo and could be on the cusp of a breakthrough season in FPL, although the competition for places in the attacking midfield spots and up top remains fierce at St Mary’s.
A beautiful tee-up for Nathan Redmond (£6.0m) preceded two assists for Adams, with the youngster wasting a one-on-one chance of his own in the dying stages of the game.
Theo Walcott (£6.0m) had earlier stroked the Saints into the lead from a Michael Obafemi (£4.5m) pass before Moussa Djenepo (£5.5m) – on again at left-back – curled in a brilliant second.
Danny Ings (£8.0m) couldn’t get in on the act and looked a tad rusty, while Saints still gave up a number of clear openings despite their clean sheet.
Southampton: Forster, Valery (Walker-Peters 62’), Stephens, Salisu (Bednarek 62’), Perraud (Djenepo 62’), Romeu, Diallo, Walcott (Tella 62’), Elyounoussi (Redmond 62’), Obafemi (Long 62’), Ings (Adams 62’).
ROTHERHAM UNITED 1-1 NEWCASTLE UNITED
- Goal: Jeff Hendrick (£5.0m)
- Assist: Jacob Murphy (£5.0m)
Steve Bruce confirmed on Tuesday that unpriced FPL goalkeeper Freddie Woodman could be between the posts for Newcastle United in Gameweek 1.
Martin Dubravka (£4.5m) looks set to miss the start of the season through injury while Karl Darlow (£4.5m) is still recovering from the effects of a coronavirus infection that hospitalised him in the last week.
Woodman, along with fellow back-up custodian Mark Gillespie, was handed 45 minutes as Newcastle produced an unconvincing display at Rotherham.
Bruce said afterwards:
I might have to register four goalkeepers. It’s quite possible [Woodman] might be in goal [at the start of the season]. He’s been playing for a couple of years at Swansea, and we thought for him to keep on playing — there was a loan move to Bournemouth — but I’ve got to look after the club.
In 10 days’ time, we’ll see how Karl (Darlow) and Martin (Dubravka) are and we’ll maybe look at it again.
Allan Saint-Maximin (£6.5m) was also absent in United’s latest pre-season friendly due to illness, with Bruce saying:
Not well, he’s sick. It’s a disappointment, but we hope he’s not going to be out for too long.
The Magpies were again in their usual 3-5-2/5-3-2, with Matt Ritchie (£5.0m) struggling at right wing-back and moved to midfield after half-time.
Sean Longstaff (£4.5m) is a name to quietly monitor in the budget midfielder/bench fodder pond – with Jonjo Shelvey (£5.5m) currently injured and Joe Willock (£6.0m) still an Arsenal player at the time of writing, the elder Longstaff could be in line for a start in Gameweek 1.
He had two presentable chances and although he is £4.5m for a reason (those Manchester United rumours are a distant memory as his career stalls), there won’t be many players in this price rung playing in such an advanced midfield position.
Callum Wilson (£7.5m), an altogether safer FPL purchase, couldn’t add to his goal at Doncaster when spurning a good opportunity in the first half.
His replacement, Jeff Hendrick (£5.0m), popped up with a late equaliser from a Jacob Murphy (£5.0m) corner.
Newcastle United XI: Woodman (Gillespie 46), Ritchie (Schar 64), Clark (Dummett 46), Lascelles (Watts 46), Fernandez (Krafth 64), Lewis, Hayden (M. Longstaff 72), S. Longstaff (Young 80), Fraser (Murphy 46), Gayle (White 77), Wilson (Hendrick 72).
CRYSTAL PALACE 2-2 CHARLTON ATHLETIC
- Goals: Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Scott Banks
- Assists: Jean-Phillips Mateta (£5.5m)
Crystal Palace confirmed on Wednesday that Patrick van Aanholt has left the club after the expiry of his contract, which – barring further recruitment – bodes well for Tyrick Mitchell’s (£4.5m) first-team chances this season.
Jairo Riedewald (£5.0m) was initially used at left-back in Palace’s 2-2 draw with Charlton on Tuesday, as Patrick Vieira turned to his second string and academy products to start at Selhurst Park.
The introduction of some more senior options in the second half saw the Eagles improve, with Vieira satisfied that his new tactical ideas in the 4-3-3 set-up are being taken on board:
The performance is massively important because winning games and scoring goals gives you confidence. As well I think tactically the football we tried to play allowed me to see how players understand what I ask them to do and we are getting there.
It’s always difficult when you manage to have a couple of [first-team] players and a lot of young players from the Academy to find the right balance. But I’m quite satisfied with where we are tactically. There’s a really good understanding from the players about what I want and now we have all the players available to perform.
Marc Guehi (£4.5m) made his full debut at centre-half but it was a collectively suspect defensive display from the hosts, whose numbers at the back have further dwindled following Mamadou Sakho‘s exit.
Crystal Palace XI: Butland (Guaita 61), Kelly (Clyne 75), Guéhi (Jach 75), Tomkins (Mitchell 61), Riedewald (Kirby 82), Kouyate, Wells-Morrison (Schlupp 61), M. Boateng (McArthur 61), Rak-Sakyi (Street 70), Banks (Gordon 82), Ayew (Mateta 61).
BLACKPOOL 0-1 BURNLEY
- Goal: Bobby Thomas
- Assist: Ashley Westwood (£5.5m)
While Chris Wood (£7.0m) remains away on international duty with New Zealand (the Kiwis having qualified for the Olympic Games quarter-finals, which take place on Saturday), Matej Vydra (£5.5m) will soon be back to bolster Sean Dyche’s options up top.
Vydra was part of the Czech Republic squad at EURO 2020 and was subsequently handed three weeks off by his club but Sean Dyche is expecting the budget striker – who hit five attacking returns in nine games in a late-season partnership with Wood – back imminently:
He will do a few tough days just to bring him up to speed. He’s pretty fit because he had a period with the Czech team so we hope to get him up to speed quite quickly.
Vydra’s return will, of course, mean competition for Jay Rodriguez (£5.5m) and Ashley Barnes (£5.5m) in attack.
Aside from Wood, the main absentee of note is the injured Nick Pope (£5.5m). He was again missing at Blackpool, with £4.5m-rated back-up Wayne Hennessey starting between the posts.
Elsewhere, it’s business as usual: the Clarets remain in a 4-4-2 and Dwight McNeil (£6.0m) carries much of their threat down the left flank.
Ashley Westwood (£5.5m) also remains on corners and it was his second-half dead-ball delivery that was nodded in by centre-half Bobby Thomas for the only goal of the game.
Burnley XI: Hennessey (Norris 65), Lowton (Bardsley 46), Collins (Tarkowski 46), Mee (Thomas 46), Taylor (Pieters 46), Gomez-Mancini (Gudmundsson 46), Brownhill (Westwood 46), Cork (Nartey 80), McNeil (Glennon 65), Richardson (Barnes 46), Rodriguez (Harker 65).
STEVENAGE 1-1 WATFORD
- Goal: Ken Sema (£5.5m)
- Assist: Ashley Fletcher (£5.0m)
Winger Ken Sema (£5.5m) popped up with a goal to salvage a draw for Watford at Stevenage.
Sema was part of a front three for the Hornets, with Cucho Hernandez (£5.0m) – who caught the eye against West Brom – pushed into midfield; a reverse ‘out of position’ in the Fantasy world.
Adedapo Mebude (£4.5m) was stretchered off with a back injury that saw the game brought to a premature end but has since been released from hospital.
Watford’s much-hailed defence conceded after just two minutes, with Craig Cathcart‘s (£4.5m) disastrous pass punished by the hosts.
The Hornets’ penultimate pre-season friendly against Barnsley has been cancelled and with trialists racking up over 300 minutes of game-time over the last three warm-up games, there is a distinctly unsettled feel about Xisco’s troops heading into 2021/22 – not ideal preparation for Gameweek 1 and a little off-putting from a Fantasy perspecitve.
Watford XI: Foster (Elliot 68), Trialist (Ngakia 74), Troost-Ekong, Cathcart (Abbott 45), Rose (Trialist 62), Gosling (Lo-Everton 45) Hernandez (King 68), Zinckernagel (Wise 45), Sema (Baah 45), Fletcher (Mebude 45), Deeney.
2 years, 9 months agoStill not convinced on Mahrez.