A second successive 4-1 win for injury-hit Liverpool brought Gameweek 26 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) to a close on Wednesday evening.
From a Fantasy perspective, the match was as much about who didn’t take part as who was among the points.
And it’s with some injury updates that we begin this latest Scout Notes article.
DOUGHTY HOBBLES OFF
Alfie Doughty (£4.6m) failed to add to the one point he picked up in Luton Town’s defeat to Manchester United on Saturday.
An early yellow card preceded three goal concessions, leaving him on a duck-egg for the evening at Anfield.
Worse was seemingly to follow as he hobbled off midway through the second half.
But there were two bits of relatively good news to report.
Firstly, his early withdrawal spared him the ignominy of a minus score on Merseyside, as Luton went on to concede a fourth goal in his absence.
And secondly, boss Rob Edwards didn’t seem too concerned about his fitness after full-time.
Indeed, the Luton head coach appeared more worried about the injury that forced Albert Sambi Lokonga (£4.9m) off at the interval.
“I think Alfie will be okay. Sambi, we will have to see. He was just feeling his hamstring, lower hamstring, so don’t know any more than that at the moment. We will have to assess him and see.” – Rob Edwards
Doughty racked up a total of four shots, three chances created, 19 crosses and seven penalty area touches across his two Double Gameweek 25 matches, so there’s still plenty to be positive about ahead of the Hatters’ more favourable-looking double-header in Gameweek 28.
He’ll need all the attacking returns he can get, mind: it’s two clean sheets in 25 matches for Luton this season.
KLOPP’S INJURY UPDATE
Luton’s fitness situation pales compared to Liverpool’s own injury crisis.
You could argue that at least seven of the Reds’ first-choice XI were sidelined for the win over Luton, as Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) and Darwin Nunez (£7.6m) joined Diogo Jota (£8.3m) and the other names ruled out by Jurgen Klopp on Tuesday.
We didn’t get much new information on any of the walking wounded after full-time, in all honesty.
“No [updates on the missing players]. I don’t even know if *these* boys can play again, to be honest. The situation is not great, absolutely not, we don’t have to make that now nicer than it is.
“I’m so happy that all the kids came on and played, Dannsy [Jayden Danns] said 50 times, ‘Thank you, boss!’ I’m so happy that I could give him that opportunity, the boys deserve it. But obviously, for us, there are now a lot of super-important games coming up, and we don’t know, we go day by day. I cannot say anything about it and I don’t know.
“After Brentford, I had no clue the situation would be like it was now. So, let’s see. There’s one phrase that stands: as long as we have 11, we will go for it. That’s all I can promise.” – Jurgen Klopp, in his post-match press conference
Klopp was grilled about Darwin and Salah ahead of the game and asked whether they were being rested for Sunday’s EFL Cup final against Chelsea.
“They [Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah] couldn’t have played tonight. Everybody who can play tonight will be there.
“From here we will see who will be back for Sunday [League Cup final against Chelsea], but that is not important at the moment.” – Jurgen Klopp, speaking ahead of the game in quotes reported by Sky
Have no fear, though, as we’ll get another press conference from Klopp on Friday ahead of the trip to Wembley.
And, as we mentioned in this article, Klopp will face the media another four times beyond this (two post-match press conferences, two pre-match) before we get to Gameweek 27.
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
Owners of Salah, Darwin and Jota would have been watching on ruefully as the chances and goals piled up at Anfield.
All of the starting front three against Luton, namely Cody Gakpo (£7.2m), Luis Diaz (£7.5m) and Harvey Elliott (£4.8m), were on the scoresheet. Between them, they amassed a ridiculous 23 shots, six big chances and 41 penalty box touches.
Even Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m) owners might have felt a bit miffed with Alexis Mac Allister‘s (£5.8m) two assists from set plays. One of those was a corner met by a thumping Virgil van Dijk (£6.4m) header.
The hauls were there, it’s just that many Fantasy managers’ players weren’t.
Above: Players involved in Liverpool v Luton sorted by goal attempts
Diaz, who was Darwin-levels wasteful on the night, has nevertheless now delivered six attacking returns in his last five matches. That’s over half of his season total.
LIVELY LUTON
That’s now 13 successive Premier League games in which Luton have scored. The Hatters have breached the defences of both Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Liverpool during that run.
More goals have been scored in games involving Luton (55) over their last 13 matches than there have featuring any other team.
They’re a side that you’d love your attackers to be facing but not so much your defenders, at least for clean sheets.
Their approach is admirable in that the opposition doesn’t seem to matter. There’s no compromising of their principles.
Chiedozie Ogbene (£4.9m), the Fantasy forward playing as a wing-back, nodded in the game’s opener from a rebound. Other chances came and went, including one Doughty cross-shot that fizzed narrowly wide, before the Hatters got caught up in what Klopp described as a second-half “thunderstorm”.
“We’ve had a couple of difficult results but not difficult with performances. There’s no shame in coming here today and playing the way we did and playing with bravery and taking a game to Liverpool. Ultimately they were better; okay they’re Liverpool, it’s Liverpool that we’re going up against, so a bit of perspective.
“It’s horrible now, I hate losing, feel rubbish, but also proud of the players as well because they gave everything, they kept going, kept pushing and we’ll always do that.” – Rob Edwards
A RIGHT PAIR OF BLANKERS
There’s no Gameweek 26 fixture for either of these clubs (this match was actually it), thanks to Liverpool’s involvement in the EFL Cup final on Sunday.
They both might blank in Gameweek 29, too, although Luton’s fixture has the better chance of staying on.
Caoimhin Kelleher (£3.7m) should still be between the posts for Liverpool come Gameweek 27, as Alisson (£5.8m) isn’t expected back for some time.
Conor Bradley (£4.1m) has a good chance of retaining his place at right-back, too, as it sounds like Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m) will be touch and go for the trip to Nottingham Forest.
By the time we get to that Gameweek 27 deadline, we should be armed with a lot more injury information from both sides.
