FPL notes: More Free Hit pain as key players blank

We dissect the main Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from the fourth and final Gameweek 29 fixture: West Ham United v Aston Villa.

KUDUS + BOWEN DENIED

West Ham had no fewer than three ‘goals’ ruled out on Sunday, as Gameweek 29 continued to throw up further disappointment for FPL managers, particularly those on a Free Hit.

Mohammed Kudus (£6.9m) was the first to be frustrated, when he saw his goal ruled out for a foul in the build-up.

Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) owners then thought he’d claimed an assist, only for the referee to rule it had hit Michail Antonio’s (£5.7m) arm before flying in.

As such, Kudus and Bowen – two popular Free Hit targets – combined for just three FPL points, with the latter failing to register a single shot.

Prior to that hat-trick of disallowed strikes, Antonio had put West Ham in front, guiding in a downward header for his first Premier League goal since Gameweek 3.

It was provided by full-back Vladimir Coufal (£4.6m), who is now up to seven assists for the season, fourth of all FPL defenders behind Kieran Trippier (£6.7m), Alfie Doughty (£4.7m) and Pedro Porro (£5.8m).

Antonio was later replaced on 65 minutes, pushing Bowen up front.

Explaining the substitution, David Moyes said:

“Mick has played 70 minutes in midweek and another 60-odd today, so we’re trying to manage it.

“We’ve also got other people with fresh legs who we want to get on the pitch and give them minutes as well, but I thought it was just the right time to see if we could freshen it up.

“They were the better team at the time and we couldn’t keep the ball and weren’t getting up the pitch too quickly, so trying to find other ways of doing it was what we tried to do, but he did a good job for us, Mick, and scored a really good goal.” – David Moyes on Michail Antonio

EMERY’S TINKERING

After last week’s 3-5-2 gamble failed to pay off, Unai Emery reverted to a back four for Sunday’s trip to West Ham.

The inclusion of Jhon Duran (£5.0m), however, was a little surprising, given that this was his first ever Premier League start.

Deployed next to Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) in a 4-4-2, the pair dovetailed as split strikers but the whole setup lacked fluidity, forcing a half-time rethink.

On came Moussa Diaby (£6.3m) for Duran, and from that point onwards, Aston Villa looked much more threatening.

In fact, it was Diaby who teed up another substitute, Nicolo Zaniolo (£5.4m), for the equaliser.

“We tried to get everybody to feel comfortable in the structure, playing in our idea and style. But in the first half we didn’t connect very well in the right side.

“The second half we changed a little bit and for example, Diaby felt comfortable playing as well as a number 10. We connected with him and Leon Bailey very well.” – Unai Emery

As for Watkins and Leon Bailey (£5.7m), each of them has now blanked in back-to-back Gameweeks.

They also have some tricky fixtures on the horizon (see below), with no ‘doubles’ between now and the end of the season to fall back on.

ISSUES AT THE BACK

Aston Villa were sloppy in possession on Sunday, with West Ham’s high press forcing Unai Emery’s side into errors.

In a laboured first half which drew parallels with last week’s 4-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, Villa struggled to get going, losing the ball in dangerous areas, which West Ham were able to capitalise on for the opener.

It means Villa have now conceded 12 goals in their last six matches, a period which has seen them fail to keep a single clean sheet.

They also rank among the worst six sides over that period for expected goals conceded (xGC) and ‘big chances’ conceded, which is something Emery will want to address with trips to Manchester City and Arsenal coming up.

One particular weakness that forthcoming opponents will target is set-pieces.

Bowen’s deliveries caused real problems on Sunday and Emery’s troops are bottom for xGC set-play from Gameweek 13 onwards (see below), something Pablo Sarabia (£4.7m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£10.5m) will look to exploit after the international break.

“In this Premier League level, it is difficult because the set-piece takers are good. It is important to not concede set-pieces.

“Overall, I think tactically in the second half we dominated and imposed our position. It is better to win, but we drew. I think it’s good and we have to accept it.” – Unai Emery