We round up the goals, assists, injury updates and team news information from four of Saturday’s pre-season matches in our latest Scout Notes piece.
Having previously summarised the Community Shield from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective, we now turn our attention to the games involving Brighton and Hove Albion, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Norwich City and Watford.
Don’t forget to check out our comprehensive pre-season page for more information on the action taking place ahead of Gameweek 1.
NEWCASTLE UNITED 3-0 NORWICH CITY
- Goals: Matt Ritchie (£5.0m), Dwight Gayle (£5.5m) x2
- Assists: Callum Wilson (£7.5m), Ryan Fraser (£5.5m), Javier Manquillo (£4.0m)
Callum Wilson (£7.5m) and Allan Saint-Maximin (£6.5m) recovered from injury and illness respectively to play a part in Newcastle United’s final pre-season friendly before their Gameweek 1 clash with West Ham United.
Second-half substitute Saint-Maximin, again playing up top in Steve Bruce’s 3-5-2, lit up the game and went close on a number of occasions without getting involved in the attacking returns – a familiar trait of the Frenchman during his time on Tyneside.
Wilson, meanwhile, saw a number of sights of goal, with his scuffed shot turned in by the eye-catchingly advanced FPL defender Matt Ritchie (£5.0m) for the game’s opener.
Budget defender Javier Manquillo (£4.0m) was also among the attacking returns on the opposite flank, teeing up Dwight Gayle (£5.5m) for one of the striker’s two goals, but is very much second fiddle to Jacob Murphy (£5.0m) at right-wing back.
Elsewhere on budget asset watch, there were starts for £4.5m midfielders Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff, although the return to training and fitness of Miguel Almiron (£5.5m) and Jonjo Shelvey (£5.5m) does mean the latter is a big rotation risk now.
“In terms of injuries, we’ve only really got (Paul) Dummett at the moment.
“We were certainly better in the second half: Jonjo Shelvey gave us a bit more control of the ball. He’s important the way we play, he acts as that pivot, the one who can find that pass and especially when we’ve got the pace upfront. After Burnley, I didn’t think he would have a chance (of facing West Ham) but the way he performed today, he has another week ahead of him and let’s hope he can take part in some capacity.
“I was delighted with the defending, the goalkeeper looked assured, and everybody who came on to the pitch knew the way we were going to play.” – Steve Bruce
The still-unpriced Freddie Woodman is also now seemingly favourite to start the season between the posts, with Karl Darlow (£4.5m) only just back in training following hospitalisation with coronavirus.
As for Norwich, to say they’ve had their own struggles with Covid-19 is something of an understatement.
An outbreak at the club has seriously affected their pre-season preparations and from a cynical point of view, does augment the appeal of Liverpool assets in Gameweek 1.
Norwich began the Newcastle defeat well but the impact that coronavirus has had on the Canaries’ summer fitness work was evident in the second-half tail-off at St James’ Park.
Daniel Farke discussed the situation after full-time and provided an update on Todd Cantwell (£5.5m):
“Our situation in the last two weeks has been a difficult one. It was difficult to be really competitive today, we’ve only had ten players who’ve been ready to go for 90 minutes.
“These were the ten players in the starting line-up. On the bench, we had Teemu Pukki who is just since yesterday back in team training and not ready for 90 minutes and Kenny McLean who’s been out for 12 weeks and has been struggling with his back this week.
“We had Jacob Lungi Sorensen as well who’s only just back from Covid. He has many symptoms and is only just on his way to finding his legs back.
“In the second half, I think some of the players were a bit tired. We’ve been giving lots of minutes to players, more than I would have liked.
“The only thing that matters is that we are there when the real stuff begins. I’m quite pleased that we had this test today, it was important for Teemu, Kenny and Jacob to get some minutes under their belt.
“Todd had a knock yesterday in training and rolled his ankle. We have to wait, he’ll be out for a few days. Hopefully, he’s available for the weekend.
“We have some good news with the Covid situation. No new cases in the last ten days, all the players who’ve been isolating will be back next week.
“We are in a much better position, but it’s not easy. When I think about Milot Rashica, he’s missed four games now and for a new player, it’s not great. Grant Hanley as well, he hasn’t played a game yet.
“It’s not been easy but we have to handle it. From next week, the situation will improve day by day. ” – Daniel Farke
Grant Hanley‘s (£4.5m) availability is one to monitor, as it could very much affect the Premier League game-time afforded to budget FPL defender Andrew Omobamidele (£4.0m).
The bargain-bin stopper is one of only a handful of players who have played 100% of the available pre-season minutes for their club but it has been the absences of Hanley and, until recently, Ben Gibson (£4.5m) that have aided his path to the first team.
Farke’s decision to play a 3-4-2-1 over the usual 4-2-3-1 is a potential boon for Omobamidele, however, given that the system change creates an extra centre-half spot.
Budget midfielder Billy Gilmour (£4.5m) was handed another hour and took his share of set plays, while the slightly more expensive Pierre Lees-Melou (£5.0m) looks like he has an eye for goal: two goals in pre-season were followed by a couple of saved efforts on Tyneside.
Newcastle United XI: Woodman, Krafth (Schar 66), Clark (Watts 83), Fernandez (Lascelles 66), Murphy (Manquillo 80), Hayden (Hendrick 66), S. Longstaff (Shelvey 46), Almiron (Fraser 46), Ritchie (Lewis 66), Joelinton (Saint-Maximin 46), Wilson (Gayle 66).
Norwich City XI: Krul, Omobamidele, Zimmerman, Gibson, Aarons, Lees-Melou, Gilmour (Pukki 62), Giannoulis, Rupp (McLean 62), Dowell (Sorensen 62), Idah.
BURNLEY 0-2 CADIZ
Nick Pope (£5.5m) and Chris Wood (£7.0m) chalked up their first Burnley appearances of pre-season, with the former making a comeback from injury and the latter rejoining his club colleagues after a fortnight in Tokyo with the New Zealand national team.
Pope, in his first start since Gameweek 35 of 2020/21, was perhaps a little slow to get down to both goals he conceded at Turf Moor on Saturday, as Cadiz came away 2-0 victors.
Matt Lowton (£4.5m) was the only real absentee of note from an FPL perspective and missed his second successive pre-season match, with £4.0m Fantasy defender Phil Bardsley getting another run-out at right-back.
Any hopes that the bargain-bin Bardsley is set for a run in the first team look set to be dashed, however, with Sean Dyche revealing that Lowton has merely been isolating because a family member tested positive for coronavirus:
“Someone in his family had Covid, he is clear, but we have to do the right thing.” – Sean Dyche on Matt Lowton
On Wood and Pope, the Burnley boss added:
“We just gave [Wood] a taste of it because he has played plenty of football. I think he has the highest minutes in pre-season from playing over there
“Vyds has still got to get himself back fit and sharp because he came back late We have another game on Tuesday which we will use wisely to make sure the players top up.
“[Pope] has had a good pre-season coming back from injury and it was good to get his 90 in. He was happy and clear-minded. We mentioned it against Newcastle and he just wanted to make sure and he has had a good week’s training so it is good. He will feel better for getting 90 under his belt.
“We have to be careful and his (recovery) has been more or less on track. He has felt right which is a key thing because each person’s body recovers in different ways but he has felt right, has trained all week and felt right today.” – Sean Dyche
The relationship between Wood and Matej Vydra (£5.5m) looked telepathic in the closing stages of 2020/21 and was again promising on Saturday, while Dwight McNeil (£6.0m) – the Clarets’ stand-out pre-season performer – again caught the eye on the left of midfield.
Burnley XI: Pope, Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor (Lennon 72), Brownhill, Westwood, Cork (Gudmundsson 46), McNeil (Pieters 46), Wood (Barnes 46), Vydra (Rodriguez 53).
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION 0-2 GETAFE
Lewis Dunk (£5.0m) and Adam Webster (£4.5m) made their first appearances of the summer, with the availability of those two key centre-halves allowing Graham Potter to switch to a 3-4-2-1 against Getafe in Brighton and Hove Albion’s final pre-season encounter.
Enock Mwepu (£6.0m) and Pascal Gross (£6.0m) both had stints at right wing-back as Joel Veltman (£4.5m) adopted the Ben White (£4.5m) spot on the right of central defence, while Adam Lallana (£5.5m) was initially handed an advanced role behind Aaron Connolly (£5.5m).
“Enock has got energy in abundance and he brings us that little bit of something different. He can hit the box, can play in numerous positions and he will give us a bit of versatility and some options. He will get better and we will get better the longer he is here with us.” – Graham Potter on Enock Mwepu
Like Dunk and Webster, the returning Leandro Trossard (£6.5m) also had a first pre-season run-out for the Albion and was the pick of the players on display after the interval.
The Belgian was denied by a superb save in the second half, with Webster also going close with a headed effort from a Gross free-kick that struck the bar.
Albion’s defence has earned plenty of plaudits for their underlying numbers in 2020/21 but one area of weakness last season was their record at defending dead-ball situations, and they were undone again by two set-piece goals on Saturday.
Robert Sanchez, FPL’s most-owned £4.5m-rated goalkeeper, played the full 90 minutes; his understudy, Kjell Scherpen (£4.5m), now looks set to miss the start of 2021/22.
Brighton and Hove Albion XI: Sanchez, Veltman (Ostigard 89), Dunk (Moder 79), Webster (Duffy 79), Mwepu (Zeqiri 89), Gross (Richards 79), Bissouma (Andone 89), March (Karbownik 89), Lallana (Alzate 67), Mac Allister (Trossard 46), Connolly (Maupay 67).
CRYSTAL PALACE 3-1 WATFORD
- Goals: Wilfried Zaha (£7.0m) x2 (1 pen), Christian Benteke (£6.5m)
- Assists: James McArthur (£4.5m), Jairo Riedewald (£5.0m)
Crystal Palace ended pre-season unbeaten under their new head coach Patrick Vieira, seeing off Watford 3-1 at Selhurst Park.
Early-summer noises about getting the ball to Wilfried Zaha (£7.5m) more haven’t been lip service, with the Ivory Coast international scoring on four occasions in three warm-up matches since the change of head coach.
Zaha had miscued an early big chance before winning and converting a first-half penalty, doubling the hosts’ lead with a deflected effort after the interval.
Christian Benteke (£6.5m), who ended 2020/21 in fine form, was involved under Vieira for the first time after returning from his post-EURO 2020 break; the Belgian powered home a header from a Jairo Riedewald (£5.0m) corner to round off the scoring in south London.
The Palace boss said of his goalscorers:
“It is a plus to have Christian in our team because in the air he is one of the best if not the best in the league. This is a powerful weapon to have in the squad. We have to use it well and I was really pleased with him scoring the goal. It was his first game after coming back from internationals, the Euros. Coming back and scoring was good for him and his confidence.”
“We know [Zaha’s] strength and know he’s capable of scoring goals, creating goals. There’s the other part of the game he needs to work on and concentrate: work without the ball. How can we be a little more compact? How can he defend better with the rest of the players? But his work ethic has been really good since I’m in this football club. Scoring goals: we know that he is capable of doing it.” – Patrick Vieira
Watford’s pre-season has been littered with injuries, late returns from international duty, contract stand-offs, squad rotation, and lots and lots of trialists.
It’s not ideal preparation for life in the top flight, nor is it a recipe that is likely to appeal to us Fantasy managers.
The Hornets boasted an excellent defensive record in the Championship but have shipped 10 goals in their three pre-season meetings with top-flight clubs.
Much may rest on Francisco Sierralta‘s (£4.5m) shoulders at the back, with the Chilean a peripheral figure in pre-season partly due to his involvement at the Copa America.
The central midfield issue also looks like it needs addressing; the sight of winger Ken Sema (£5.5m) lining up as part of the engine room trio was an unconvincing one.
Troy Deeney (£5.5m) came off the bench to score Watford’s only goal of the game, while Cucho Hernandez (£5.0m), Peter Etebo (£4.5m) and Emmanuel Dennis (£5.0m) all went close with efforts from dead-ball situations.
Crystal Palace XI: Guaita, Ward, Kouyaté (Tomkins 89), Guéhi, Mitchell (Hannam 71), McArthur (Gallagher 71), Riedewald, Schlupp (Banks 80), Zaha, Ayew (Rak-Sakyi 80), Mateta (Benteke 71).
Watford XI: Bachmann, Ngakia, Troost-Ekong, Cathcart, Rose (Femenía 65), Etebo, Cleverley (Louza 80), Sema (Kucka 65), Sarr, Dennis (Deeney 80), Hernández.
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