FPL notes: Havertz, Arsenal’s defence + clinical Kudus

The Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from two of Sunday’s Gameweek 17 fixtures are covered in our latest Scout Notes article.

Arsenal v Brighton and Hove Albion and West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers are the matches in question.

• READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 17: Sunday’s goals, assists, bonus points + stats
• READ MORE: FPL notes: Palmer superb, why Nkunku didn’t feature + Everton injuries
• READ MORE: FPL notes: Howe on Botman’s return + new injuries

THREE IN FIVE FOR HAVERTZ

Bukayo Saka (£9.0m) gave Brighton left-back James Milner (£4.8m) a particularly torrid time on Sunday but will have been disappointed not to score, having attempted four shots, the most he’s managed in a match all season.

Instead, it was Gabriel Jesus (£7.9m) and Kai Havertz (£7.1m) on the scoresheet.

The latter has endured a difficult start to life in north London but has begun to show his worth in recent weeks, scoring three goals in his last five matches. His shot volume is on the up, too, with ten attempts across his three most recent starts. Three of those efforts have been Opta-defined ‘big chances’.

“Your confidence always goes high when you score and contribute. That’s the same with me, I’m happy and now it’s about being consistent with it, regularly week-by-week, and trying to keep that form going.” – Kai Havertz

“His confidence is growing and he feels more secure on the field. The fact he’s scored one helped to score the second one. It’s four in seven games now [in all competitions] and he should have scored a header today as well in a really good position. But overall, his performances, the intelligence he shows on the pitch, the aggression, how he works defensively, it’s top. Really good.” – Mikel Arteta on Kai Havertz

Jesus’ opener came from a corner, meanwhile.

It means no team has scored more goals from set plays (excluding penalties) in the Premier League this season than Arsenal, level with Everton.

Teams sorted by goals from set plays in 2023/24

“[Having tall players] is a factor – the height is really important on set-plays. The takers are getting better and better. They’re understanding where to attack in relation to what the opponent does well. Big credit to the coaches for the work they’ve done – and big credit to the players as well for buying into that and understanding how crucial this is in the game.” – Mikel Arteta on Arsenal’s proficiency from set-pieces

SOLID FOUNDATIONS

However, it was out of possession that Arsenal were so impressive, as they stopped Brighton from scoring in the Premier League for the first time since February.

William Saliba (£5.5m) and Gabriel (£4.9m) were utterly dominant, limiting Roberto De Zerbi’s side to just six shots and 0.7 expected goals (xG).

Yes, this was only the Gunners’ second clean sheet in seven matches, but they boast the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League, having conceded just 15 times in their 17 outings so far. They also can’t be beaten for shut-outs or expected goals conceded (xGC).

Arsenal are next in action against Liverpool at Anfield in Gameweek 18.

“Hopefully not [underrated] – certainly not in this team or from me. I know his value, what he brings to the team and the love he has for defending, keeping clean sheets and being on it in every single action. What he transmits to the backline is absolutely incredible and today we did it against a team that had scored in 32 consecutive Premier League matches. Big compliment to the boys.” – Mikel Arteta on Gabriel Magalhaes

BRIGHTON INJURIES

Joel Veltman (£4.4m) became the latest Brighton full-back to be injured on Sunday, as he limped off with a knee problem.

He joins Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m) and Tariq Lamptey (£4.0m) on the sidelines ahead of Thursday’s M23 derby at Selhurst Park.

With fellow defender Adam Webster (£4.2m) also out, it’s an area Crystal Palace will surely look to target, with Michael Olise (£5.8m) and the fit-again Eberechi Eze (£6.0m) best placed to profit.

“I think it is an important problem because he feels pain in his knee. When there is a problem with the knee, it is difficult. We are going to find a new solution – maybe Jason Steele can be the new full-back!” – Roberto De Zerbi on Joel Veltman

Having lost 2-0 at Arsenal, Brighton are still yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season. They failed to create much until the 80th minute at the Emirates, either, with Pascal Gross (£6.4m) missing their best chance.

CLINICAL KUDUS

Mohammed Kudus (£6.7m) was the star of the show in east London, as West Ham swept aside Wolves with a comfortable 3-0 win.

The former Ajax man put his team two goals up within half an hour, before Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) added a third after the break.

In a classy performance, all three strikes were assisted by Brazilian Lucas Paqueta (£6.0m).

It’s a fluid frontline at West Ham right now, with Bowen’s goal notably arriving after he switched to the right flank. However, he’d previously hit the post playing as a centre-forward, so is still carrying a threat through the middle.

Meanwhile, Kudus has four goals and three assists in eight appearances since making his first start in Gameweek 10. In that time, he’s attempted 16 shots, just one fewer than Bowen, although it is worth noting he leaves for AFCON next month, denting his appeal.

“There were not easy chances, they were really difficult finishes and they were brilliantly done by Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen. Lucas Paqueta got three assists today as well. The players we put in to give us the attacking threat really performed today. The quality of finishing was class.

“It’s great that the players are all flexible, willing to try different things, and we’re getting good wins. Late on in the game, Jarrod scored his goal today off the right wing. We put Paqueta in at centre-forward and Mo in behind him, and we wanted to see if we could try something different. We’d lost a little bit of impetus in the game and Wolves played much better in the second half.” – David Moyes

“We’re playing with freedom; me, Mo and Lucas. We’ve got a really good understanding and there were times when Mo was up front and I was out on the wing. There were times when it was the other way around but I think that is the quality that the three of us have. We have that flexibility and it’s the same on the training pitch. We love playing together.” – Jarrod Bowen

FABIANSKI STARTS AGAIN/NETO “NEARLY BACK”

Lukasz Fabianski (£4.2m) kept his place in goal ahead of Alphonse Areola (£4.2m), which coincided with West Ham keeping their first clean sheet since Gameweek 7.

It’s the third consecutive league game the 38-year-old has started and although he wasn’t hugely busy on Sunday, he made a good early save to deny Matheus Cunha (£5.7m).

Wolves had their moments but didn’t take them and they often looked vulnerable in their 4-2-3-1 shape, with left-back Toti Gomes (£4.4m) struggling to contain Kudus.

Some of it can be put down to a virus in camp (more on that below), yet opponents are finding it far too easy to carve them open on the road.

Meanwhile, Jose Sa (£5.0m) missed out with a shoulder problem, handing Daniel Bentley (£3.9m) a start in goal, but he hardly covered himself in glory and was at fault for two of West Ham’s goals.

In better news, Pedro Neto (£5.6m) is at least closing in on a return.

“Rayan’s [Ait-Nouri] managed to get some minutes under his belt which is important, hopefully Jose [Sa] won’t be out for long. Pedro’s [Neto] nearly back. There are reasons at the moment why we’re not at full strength. Mario, Cunha and ‘Dawse’ [Dawson] all played ill, they suffered a virus overnight in the hotel, so fair play to them for putting themselves forward to play.

“Sa had a collision with one of the outfield players yesterday in training and was fine, he finished training and travelled down on the bus and woke up this morning and had a bit of a lack of range of movement in his shoulder, so he wasn’t available to play. Those things happen, zero excuses, we need to be better and I’m sure we will be.

“We’ve just been a little bit short, and a little bit can turn into a lot in a Premier League game. We need to get back to full strength and make sure we get a good result next week.” – Gary O’Neil

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