An injury to Anthony Gordon (£6.1m) dominates the discussion as we look back on the key Fantasy Premier League talking points from Chelsea v Newcastle United.
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GORDON INJURY LATEST
Gordon seemed to be struggling from very early on in Monday’s match. He eventually admitted defeat after 35 minutes, wincing sharply when the visitors’ physio tested the manoeuvrability of his left knee.
Eddie Howe was worried after full-time.
“We’re not sure what the diagnosis is with Anthony. He’s got a knee problem, he said it was a pain that he just felt come on. There was no moment or incident when it happened, so it’s just gradual. He’s in a bit of pain, so we fear it’s not looking too good. But it’s very early days so let’s see.
“I think he’s in a bit of pain, it’s unclear what the injury is and I think that can always add a more negative feeling becaue you want clarity on what you’re feeling. Hopefully, we can give him that in the next couple of days and we can get him seen to.” – Eddie Howe
We could/should have an answer on a recovery timeline by Gameweek 29, as Newcastle are in FA Cup quarter-final action this weekend. Howe will host his pre-match press conference on Friday.
The man who may benefit the most from any Gordon absence is Harvey Barnes (£6.2m).
He himself was absent for this one with a “minor hamstring injury”. It sounds like he should be back for Gameweek 30, however, when Newcastle next play in the league.
“We don’t think it’s bad but it was enough to keep him out tonight and probably against Manchester City.” – Eddie Howe on Harvey Barnes
Dan Burn (£4.4m) also walked gingerly from the field of play in the second half but Howe said afterwards that he thinks the giant defender is OK.
LIVRAMENTO IMPRESSES BUT NEWCASTLE DEFENCE STRUGGLES AGAIN
A significant absence for Burn would renew Fantasy interest in the versatile Tino Livramento (£4.1m). The same goes for Kieran Trippier (£6.8m) on the opposite flank, but the thinking is that he’ll be back for Gameweek 30, too.
Livramento shone in both full-back positions at Stamford Bridge. No Newcastle player had more penalty box touches. Only one player from either side, Jacob Murphy (£4.8m), had more final-third touches.
“I thought he gave us some really good moments, the combination with Miggy and Sean on that side of the pitch. Maybe a little bit quiet at the beginning of the second half so we moved him sides and I thought he came to life again on the left.
“So he showed his versatility, showed his athleticism through the match and he can be pleased.
“I think he’s growing into his position, he’s certainly got the love of the supporters which is a huge thing at this football club. They see what he brings to the team.” – Eddie Howe on Tino Livramento
Newcastle’s defence was again porous in general, however. A modest xG of 1.67 for Chelsea didn’t really tell the full story, as there were huge chasms opening up every time the hosts came forward. And this is a fairly average Chelsea attack.
Newcastle have looked very midtable for much of this season, and that’s exactly where they are now: 10th. But Alexander Isak (£7.5m) and Bruno Guimaraes (£5.8m) are two genuinely top-class talents, with the former bagging his 12th league goal of the season from just 17 starts and a few substitute appearances.
The Swedish striker is most definitely one to consider in FPL for the run-in, with none of the top four left to play. A previously postponed clash with Crystal Palace will also be added to the below run:
UNBENCHABLE PALMER?
Talking of top-class talents, where would an otherwise mediocre Chelsea be without Cole Palmer (£5.7m)? He’s now contributed 20 attacking returns to the cause – and he hadn’t started a match until Gameweek 7.
Above: Fantasy midfielders sorted by attacking returns from Palmer’s full Chelsea debut onwards
Only one of his starts at home this season has resulted in a blank: that came back in Gameweek 10. He’s arguably in ‘unbenchable’ territory in FPL. Over 550,000 of his owners did just that in Gameweek 28 but there’s scant chance of that happening again in the next four Gameweeks:
A week ago we wrote of how it was Palmer, Malo Gusto (£4.2m) and little else in terms of Chelsea in FPL. That probably still holds true, with few others putting their hands up. Gusto blanked here but it was another fine display from the attacking right-back, without reward. We will be keeping an eye on Reece James’ (£5.3m) recovery in the run-in, as Gusto is hugely appealing for the upcoming run without his positional rival fit.
Nicolas Jackson (£6.8m) has much to do before he can be uttered in the same breath as his two teammates. Many Fantasy managers’ faith in the striker will have been irreversibly damaged by what went before.
But he has looked better of late, scoring three matches in a row in league and cup. His flicked opener against Newcastle was followed by another effort ruled out for offside.
“The effort is always there, how he presses, the work-rate is massive. Of course, he has the quality. With more games, with experience, he is going to be more calm in front of the goal and he is going to be more clinical. We think he has the capacity but we need to keep believing that he can be the player, the striker, the offensive player that can score for Chelsea too many goals, a lot of goals.” – Mauricio Pochettino on Nicolas Jackson
