FPL notes: De Bruyne injury update, Steele starts, Mac Allister deeper again

We continue our analysis of the Gameweek 33 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) action in our Scout Notes series.

Here, we focus on two of Wednesday’s matches: Manchester City v Arsenal and Nottingham Forest v Brighton and Hove Albion.

Any numbers you see in this article are taken from our Premium Members Area, where you can access Opta player and team data from every single Premier League fixture.

• READ MORE: Tuesday’s round-up: Goal + clean sheet for Mings, blank for Watkins

POSSIBLE DE BRUYNE INJURY?

Just as Kevin De Bruyne (£12.1m) was making a beeline for our Fantasy teams ahead of Double Gameweek 34, a yellow flag appears.

The Belgian had just produced a sensational individual display to help Manchester City to a 4-1 win over Arsenal and further tip the title race in the reigning champions’ favour when he asked to be substituted, leaving the field of play with 10 minutes to go.

Pep Guardiola reported “niggles” after the game.

“He told me he had some niggles in his legs, and asked me to make a substitution.” – Pep Guardiola on Kevin De Bruyne

All eyes and ears will now be on Guardiola’s pre-match presser on Friday ahead of the trip to Fulham.

HOW DE BRUYNE BENEFITTED FROM PEP’S 4-2-4

The City head coach’s tactics played right into De Bruyne’s hands, with the Belgian afforded extra attacking license.

Kyle Walker (£4.7m) and Manuel Akanji (£5.0m) played as orthodox full-backs rather than one of them ‘inverting’, with Ilkay Gundogan (£7.3m) tasked with helping Rodri (£5.6m) in midfield.

That meant that De Bruyne was allowed to push up almost as a second striker alongside Erling Haaland (£12.3m), resulting in his first brace of the season.

Above: The average position of City players in Gameweek 33, including Kevin De Bruyne (17) and Ilkay Gundogan (8)

His total of three shots in the box was his highest in a single game this season and more than he had managed in his previous 12 league appearances combined (two).

So De Bruyne might not pose quite the same goal threat in Double Gameweek 34 (these were clearly horses-for-courses tactics against Arsenal) but, as he’s shown in previous weeks, he’s capable of hauling from other sources in this imperious form.

Elsewhere, Haaland produced yet another double-digit return despite spurning a succession of very good opportunities, while Jack Grealish (£7.2m) – despite contributing more off the ball down the left flank – still created more chances than any other player on show.

John Stones (£5.5m) made it two goals in as many matches but, while he completed 90 minutes here, we have seen as recently as Gameweeks 30/31 that Guardiola can handle him cautiously when the fixtures are coming thick and fast.

ARSENAL EXODUS

“The analysis is clear: the better team won the game. They were probably at their best, especially in the first half, and we were nowhere near our level. When that happens, the gap becomes too big and in the first 30 minutes we didn’t do all the basic things that you have to do against an exceptional team, in terms of competing, winning duels and understanding what the game requires. We got punished and we could have been punished even more.” – Mikel Arteta

The Arsenal exodus continues, with Messrs Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard the three most-sold midfielders ahead of Gameweek 34.

More tricky fixtures follow in Gameweeks 35 and 36 but next Tuesday’s clash with Chelsea should hold no fear, with the Blues in abject form – particularly up top.

Mikel Arteta’s side need a blunt opposition attack badly, as they have now gone six matches without a clean sheet and have conceded 11 goals in their last four games.

Rob Holding (£4.2m) was on the scoresheet here but William Saliba (£5.0m) has been sorely missed in the last half-dozen fixtures; he may not have been able to prevent this reverse but just-as-costly draws in Gameweeks 30-32 could perhaps have been avoided with him in the side.

STEELE RECLAIMS SPOT

Jason Steele (£3.9m) was back between the posts for Brighton’s defeat to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, still evidently Roberto De Zerbi’s first choice in the league after Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) did his best to reclaim the spot he lost in early March.

The evening got even better for Steele owners as he salvaged a double-digit haul out of a 3-1 loss, saving Brennan Johnson’s (£5.6m) early penalty, claiming a save point and being awarded maximum bonus.

Of the goalkeepers who are currently first choices at their respective clubs, only Sam Johnstone (£4.4m) has a better points-per-match average (5.8) than Steele (5.4) this season.

MAC ALLISTER DEEP AGAIN

With full debutant Facundo Buonanotte (£4.5m) operating in the number 10 position behind Julio Enciso (£4.6m) at the City Ground, Alexis Mac Allister (£5.5m) was once again stationed deeper in central midfield alongside Felipe Caicedo (£5.0m).

The Argentina international has been there since early on in Gameweek 31, when an injury to Joel Veltman (£4.6m) necessitated a tactical reshuffle from De Zerbi.

Mac Allister still topped the goal attempts chart against Forest, curling one shot narrowly wide from 20 yards, but his only close-range effort didn’t come till deep in second-half stoppage time, and even then it stemmed from a corner-kick situation.

Above: Alexis Mac Allister’s shot map in Gameweek 33

One bit of encouraging news is that Veltman might be fit enough to start against Wolves on Saturday, which could mean that Mac Allister is back in a more advanced role as Pascal Gross‘s (£5.4m) services will no longer be needed at right-back.

“I think and I hope Ferguson can play on Saturday – and Veltman. But we are able to win with this squad. Today we were able to win with this first XI. A lot of coaches cry after defeat but this, I am different.” – Roberto De Zerbi

Solly March (£5.2m) claimed a fourth assist in five games when his shot was parried into the path of Buonanotte for the game’s opener but owners of Kaoru Mitoma (£5.6m) were left scratching their heads and wondering how the Japan international blanked, with the winger spurning one clear opening of his own before being denied an assist when Keylor Navas (£4.5m) brilliantly saved Enciso’s effort.

Despite the third successive blank, Mitoma was encouragingly lively.

TIRED BRIGHTON

Less encouraging for owners of Brighton players ahead of three Double Gameweeks and a busy schedule were De Zerbi’s post-match comments, which cited tiredness as a factor in the defeat.

Brighton had been taken to extra-time and penalties three days before kick-off in Nottingham, with eight of the starting XI keeping their places here.

“We played a very tough game three days ago, 120 minutes, we spent a lot of energy, mental energy, and today we suffered in the second half especially. But the last 10 minutes of the first half was the same.

“It is a very tough moment for us, we are playing a lot of games [and] we can’t change too many players, we have a lot of injuries.” – Roberto De Zerbi

The Seagulls have to go yet again in less than 72 hours’ time, taking on Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Amex – their first home league fixture in four weeks.

A TALE OF TWO PENALTIES

Johnson’s miss from 12 yards on Wednesday was his second of the season but he was off the field when Morgan Gibbs-White (£5.5m) netted from the spot in stoppage time against Brighton, so it’s not clear yet if he’s lost penalty-taking duties.

Budget midfielder Danilo Pereira (£4.5m), arguably the man of the match and Forest’s leading shot-taker, was also on the scoresheet after a Gross own-goal levelled it up at 1-1.

Of more concern is two more defensive injuries, with cut-price defender Neco Williams (£3.8m) hospitalised with a facial injury and stopper Moussa Niakhate (£4.3m) limping off.

“I did catch a glimpse of Neco coming off and saw blood. Fingers crossed it’s not too bad. His health comes first, regardless of results.

“Moussa said he felt his hamstring. We’ll have to see how they both are in the next day or two.” – Steve Cooper