We round up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from Crystal Palace v Arsenal in our Scout Notes summary.
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THREE IN FIVE FOR MATETA
Jean-Philippe Mateta (£5.2m) produced his fourth goal of the Premier League campaign against Arsenal on Monday night, with three of those strikes arriving in his last five appearances.
In that time, the Frenchman is averaging 6.0 points per start, with his tally of 10 shots in the box joint-top with Wilfried Zaha (£6.8m) among team-mates.
Minutes remain a bit of a concern: he has started four of the last five but has passed the 70-minute mark on just one occasion, and has now been withdrawn after 68/64/68 minutes in successive rounds.
However, if he continues to deliver, it’s hard to see him being dropped anytime soon, and given Palace’s forthcoming schedule (see below), he stands out as one of the best budget forwards on offer in FPL right now. His emergence is timely, too, especially for those on the lookout for budget ‘enablers’ to Bench Boost with in the coming weeks.
“The energy Jean-Philippe Mateta brings to the team allows others behind him to do the same. It forces players behind to follow. He is a massive player. A lot of people will talk about the goal he scored but the passion and work-rate he shows every day is a huge plus for the team.
It is confidence and belief from his team-mates. They give him the ball and he is taking the chance. He doesn’t need a lot of chances to score, he is a proper scorer. He believes in himself and everyone believes in him.” – Patrick Vieira on Jean-Philippe Mateta
Zaha, meanwhile, is now into double-figures for goals in 2021/22 after dispatching his second-half penalty, while Joachim Andersen (£4.5m) supplied a pair of assists in a match for the second time this season, having previously done so against Burnley in Gameweek 12.
After tonight’s win, Palace have lost only one of their past 11 matches in all competitions – a 1-0 Premier League home defeat against Chelsea in February – while tonight’s victory also marked their first in the league at Selhurst Park in 2022. A surprising stat, perhaps, until you realise their home schedule has seen them face the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham United since the turn of the year.
ARSENAL COLLAPSE
Momentum had been with Arsenal heading into Gameweek 31, as they had won each of their last five Premier League away games.
However, they were second-best from the off against Palace, failing to match the hosts intensity, particularly in the first-half.
As a result, Tottenham Hotspur remain in fourth place level on points with their north London rivals, although the Gunners do have a game in hand. And the schedule remains good, too, with an appealing fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion up next followed by double-headers in Gameweeks 33 and 36.
“We were poor, especially in the first half. I apologise to our supporters. We didn’t have the presence today or the composure to dominate the situation so that is what I’m most annoyed with. Some days you are not there and you are late all the time. They got on top of it and had a good atmosphere and we could not get out.
When we had the big chances, we didn’t score to give ourselves the best chance to get back in the game. First of all, we need to put our hands up and get the criticism we deserve. Then we accept it, look ourselves in the mirror and look to the next game. This was not good enough.
We have to face the challenge and the opportunity is in our hands. We have to be honest with ourselves and support each other.” – Mikel Arteta
TIERNEY INJURY LATEST
Kieran Tierney (£5.1m) missed out for Arsenal on Monday because of a knee injury, with Mikel Arteta revealing prior to kick-off that it “it is not looking good”.
“He came back from international duty and felt something wrong in his knee. There is some damage there. We will hopefully know more on Tuesday but it is not looking good.”
Following the match, the Spaniard offered a further update.
“He’s seeing a specialist tomorrow and we will know more the extent of the injury. The feeling that he had wasn’t positive and the scans either.”
If Tierney were to sit out for a prolonged spell, that could bring budget defender Nuno Tavares (£4.3m) onto the FPL radar, although on tonight’s showing – he was hooked at half-time with Granit Xhaka (£4.8m) shifting to left-back – that situation will certainly need monitoring.
“Today it was just tactical. How I wanted to change with what Palace were doing. We wanted Emile (Smith Rowe) in the space and that was the reason. I’m sorry it was Nuno (Tavares) again but it had to be done.” – Mikel Arteta on Nuno Tavares’ half-time withdrawal
Crystal Palace XI: Guaita, Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell, Kouyate (Milivojevic 80), Gallagher, Schlupp, Ayew (Edouard 76), Zaha, Mateta (McArthur 69)
Arsenal XI: Ramsdale, Cedric (Nketiah 66), White, Gabriel, Tavares (Martinelli 45), Partey (Lokonga 75), Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Lacazette
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