We round up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from Wednesday’s fixtures in our Scout Notes summary.
LIVERPOOL AND CHELSEA ROTATION – MORE TO COME?
Jurgen Klopp and Graham Potter both made five changes to their starting XIs on Wednesday and we can surely expect more to come in Gameweek 13, with Liverpool and Chelsea among the two hardest-hit teams when it comes to turnaround times:
Andrew Robertson (£6.7m), newly back from injury, was among those rested by Klopp for this one, which does beg the question about whether the German may be just as cautious with Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) this weekend.
Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling (£9.9m) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£9.1m) were benched for the second time in three Gameweeks, meanwhile, and Ben Chilwell (£5.9m) was rested altogether.
Mason Mount (£7.7m) kept up his ever-present starter status under Potter but even he was withdrawn just after the hour mark, so the question now has to be asked over whether any outfield Chelsea assets are worth the hassle, particularly with trickier fixtures to come over the next four Gameweeks.
Kepa Arrizabalaga (£4.5m) is prospering under new management, however, and a stand-out set-and-forget goalkeeper target for Gameweek 17 onwards, if not before.
“Every player needs confidence and a push from the head coach. For a goalkeeper, maybe it is even more important when you play games in a row. You always have to be aware, as in training it isn’t the same. Now I am confident, and I think I am playing well. I need to keep working.” – Kepa Arriazabalaga
Kepa’s heroics kept out Brentford and Ivan Toney (£7.4m) in particular: he may have blanked against Chelsea but there was plenty of encouragement for the forward’s owners, as his non-penalty expected goal involvement (NPxGI) figure of 0.86 is the highest of Gameweek 12 so far.
DARWIN’S FITNESS
One of the five changes that Klopp made involved promoting Darwin Nunez (£8.8m) to the starting XI, with the Uruguayan striker scoring the only goal of the game against West Ham, hitting the post and registering six shots in the box in total in a lively outing.
It was a little surprising to see him hooked after 57 minutes, then, but his manager explained after the match that muscle tightness was to blame:
“He felt a little bit the muscles at half-time but it was all fine and after five minutes [of the second half] I was just a bit concerned about long sprints for him and balls where he stretches his legs. I thought, ‘Come on, we cannot take that risk’ and that’s why we changed.
“No, no, no [it’s not a cause for concern]. I think we caught it at the right moment.” – Jurgen Klopp
Darwin’s inclusion meant a return to a right-wing berth for Mohamed Salah (£12.8m), who later moved centrally upon his team-mate’s withdrawal. He still managed to get off four shots while Darwin was on the pitch but after what we saw of him through the middle against Rangers and Manchester City, there was understandable disappointment from an FPL owners’ perspective that he was not front and centre of the Reds’ attack in Gameweek 12.
CLEAN SHEETS ABOUND
After 10 clean sheets were recorded in Gameweek 11, we’re already up to eight in Gameweek 12.
Alisson (£5.4m) has racked up 29 points over the last two Gameweeks, more than doubling his season’s tally, but an assist and a penalty save aren’t exactly everyday occurrences, even for a goalkeeper with pinpoint passing and a reputation for saving big chances.
David Raya‘s (£4.5m) save points seem to be more sustainable, however: he’s made more stops than any other goalkeeper this season, with his 12 saves across the last two Gameweeks crucial in helping him to maximum bonus points in both matches. The Bees’ defence hasn’t actually been all that impressive in 2022/23, ranking 15th for goals conceded despite a favourable set of opening fixtures, but clashes with goal-shy Aston Villa, Wolves and Nottingham Forest next give Raya a great chance to hit the summit of the FPL goalkeepers’ points table.
Contrast that with Nick Pope (£5.3m), who has also claimed back-to-back clean sheets but been stuck on six points in each instance; he hasn’t gained a save point since Gameweek 6.
Even Southampton got in on the act last night, claiming their first clean sheet of the season. After his xG-busting of previous weeks, there was an irony in Dominic Solanke (£5.8m) blanking when posting season-best totals for goal attempts (four), shots in the box (three) and expected goals (0.41).
UNITED IMPRESS
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