Victories for Manchester City and Brentford are the focus of our next Scout Notes article.
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SAVINHO INJURY UPDATE
Savinho’s (£6.5m) Premier League debut was cut short by a knee injury on Sunday.
A collision towards the end of the first half saw the Brazilian replaced at the break, with Phil Foden (£9.5m) taking over on the right.
Pep Guardiola, however, delivered a positive update in his post-match presser:
“Some disturbance in the knee. He said he knows perfectly why, he’s had it in the past. Apparently, it’s not a big, big problem. He will be ready for, hopefully, next Saturday.” – Pep Guardiola on Savinho
No player created more chances (three) or completed more dribbles (three) than Savinho in the first half, in a lively display that saw him regularly switch sides with Jeremy Doku (£6.5m).
“I know that Savio likes to play on the right, and Doku left. And normally what happens is I have to put Savio right, and Doku left. But I wanted players who go to attack more to the byline; [Doku] right and [Savio] left.”
“The secret is then [when they switched] they decided, I didn’t say anything. In certain points, Doku over there [on the right], I said to Juanma [Lillo], ‘What is he doing?!’ And they changed, and after they started to play good. So that’s why I learn that I have to put the players in positions that maybe they’re comfortable…” – Pep Guardiola
As for Foden, these were his first minutes since Euro ’24. Easing his way back into action, he wasn’t particularly involved, but there’s surely plenty more to come from him in the coming weeks.
LEWIS “A TOP, TOP PLAYER”
Rico Lewis (£4.5m) impressed in pre-season and was superb again at right-back on Sunday.
The youngster stuck to his defensive duties well but also contributed in attack, often stepping into midfield. He even had the ball in the back of the net, only for it to be ruled out for a foul in the build-up.
Handed an extended break after his Euro ’24 participation, positional rival Kyle Walker (£5.5m) will probably be back soon. However, based on Sunday’s evidence, Lewis should get further opportunities to show his quality.
“In the one-against-ones defensively, he’s unbelievable. Arriving in the final-third, as a full-back, in the inside channel, how many times? In the pockets, he moves like a player few times I’ve seen in my life. He does everything good; one-against-one defensively, blocking shots in the first-half from Nkunku, he’s always ready, he moves inside and outside perfectly. Honestly, Rico is a top, top player. A top player.” – Pep Guardiola on Rico Lewis
Lewis’ forward forays did somewhat limit Josko Gvardiol’s (£6.0m) influence, however.
When Lewis ‘inverted’, the Croat tucked in, restricting him to just 12 touches in the final-third, the fewest he’s managed in a single match since Gameweek 15 of 2023/24.
His owners will at least be content with a clean sheet and six points.
Further forward, City weren’t at their fluent best but they still got the job done.
51.6%-owned forward Erling Haaland (£15.0m) put the champions ahead, before Mateo Kovacic (£5.5m) – who excelled in the ‘Rodri’ role – sealed the win with a fine late strike.
Haaland’s opener was assisted by Bernardo Silva (£6.5m), who has now created six goals in his last seven Premier League games, dating back to Gameweek 34.
“I had the feeling that he feels better than last season at this stage. Always he felt tired but with the Euros not being there, he is rested and feels good. The goal was magnificent. These are numbers like Messi and Ronaldo, that controlled everything in the last decade. His numbers are that level. To do that in this country is unbelievable.” – Pep Guardiola on Erling Haaland
NKUNKU OFF ON 58’
Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League game in charge of Chelsea ended in a 2-0 defeat, but they were a match for City for large parts.
Just one shot separated the sides, with the Blues surprisingly posting a superior xG (1.23/0.82).
Chelsea started in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Enzo Fernandez (£5.0m) in the ’10’ role, Cole Palmer (£10.4m) on the right and Christopher Nkunku (£6.5m) on the left.
Above: Chelsea’s average position map v Man City in Gameweek 1, featuring Enzo (8), Palmer (20) and Nkunku (18)
Nkunku made some dangerous runs in behind but could not consistently get the better of Lewis. Still, it was a surprise to see him subbed off early, with Pedro Neto (£6.5m) taking his place on 58 minutes.
As for Palmer, he was quiet, failing to register a single shot in the box.
Instead, Nicolas Jackson (£7.5m) had a goal chalked off by VAR and Neto would have scored on his debut had it not been for Lewis’ goal-line clearance.
“I thought our performance was good. We don’t like to lose but I thought the performance was there. We competed against the best team in the world and we competed for large parts at the same level and in some moments were even better. We created chances and I think the big difference between us and them was especially in the box and the way they managed the ball in the last parts of the game but they are masters at that. Overall, I think our performance was quite good.
“I think today we were better than the last game, against Inter Milan, and I think that this is the most important thing – to improve game-by-game. For me, it is very clear that we are improving and the direction is the right direction. I said the other day that I didn’t expect the team to already be this [far] ahead so the direction is a good one and I don’t have any doubt that day by day we are getting better and we are going to have days where we win games and we will be happier.” – Enzo Maresca
EZE UNLUCKY
Eberechi Eze (£7.0m) saw his superb free-kick ruled out on Sunday after the referee blew his whistle for what he thought was a foul – a decision he later apologised for.
It proved to be a key turning point, with Bryan Mbeumo (£7.0m) putting Brentford ahead shortly after.
Eze continued to cause Thomas Frank’s side problems, however, racking up seven shots.
If Odsonne Edouard (£5.5m) had timed his run better, he’d have bagged an assist.
Overall, Palace generally played okay but they lacked an end product, with Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) understandably rusty having only recently returned from the Olympics.
Meanwhile, it’s now five assists in 14 matches for Daniel Munoz (£5.0m) under Oliver Glasner, having forced Palace’s equaliser at the Gtech.
As for Brentford, Ivan Toney (£7.5m) was not in the matchday squad amid “transfer interest” but it didn’t seem to matter, with Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa (£6.0m) both finding the net.
With new boy Igor Thiago (£6.0m) – earmarked as Toney’s replacement – ruled out until late 2024, Mbeumo could potentially become Brentford’s key attacker for their nice run in Gameweeks 6-13.
If Toney isn’t around, he might even be on penalties.
