Two more matches get the Scout Notes treatment as we continue to assess Saturday’s Gameweek 3 action.
This time, it’s Leicester City v Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest v Wolverhampton Wanderers.
EMERY ON £4.0M DEFENDER(S)
In the absence of Matty Cash (£4.5m), a £4.0m defender started as expected for Aston Villa.
But it was Lamare Bogarde (£4.0m), not Kosta Nedeljković (£4.0m), on right-back duty.
“He played comfortable. We played him in pre-season and when we use young players, it is because they have the potential. When we need them they must be ready, knowing our style, idea and demands. Bogarde played good matches in pre-season, trained every day and after the injuries to Cash and Carlos, we prepared for different options to choose the players playing there. Bogarde has qualities to play there and to do well. He played well.” – Unai Emery on Lamare Bogarde
As it transpired, Emery had cast doubt over Nedeljkovic’s involvement in the embargoed section of Friday’s presser:
The big question is why Nedeljković was deemed to be an adequate replacement for Cash in not just pre-season but also Gameweeks 1 and 2, even lasting 74 minutes against Arsenal. Had Emery seen something he didn’t like in the showing against the Gunners?
It’ll be a short-lived residency anyway, with Cash due back in Gameweek 5 or 6.
Villa failed to keep a clean sheet for the eighth match in a row. They’ll have been extra miffed at this loss, as Leicester had a Gameweek-low three shots in the box all game – one of which was Facundo Buonanotte‘s (£5.0m) consolation.
WATKINS MISFIRES AGAIN, BAILEY BLOW
For the second week running, Morgan Rogers (£5.1m) owners were denied an assist by Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) missing a sitter.
Played clean on goal by the budget midfielder, Watkins could only warm the hands of Mads Hermansen (£4.5m). The Leicester City goalkeeper had earlier stopped Watkins from dribbling around him.
He’s clearly not himself after the Euros, with this run-out again curtailed on the hour. At least he’s getting into some great goalscoring positions.
As for Rogers, that was his only key pass. There were no shots, nor penalty box touches. Hopes that the more favourable fixtures would boost his underlying numbers haven’t come to pass yet.
Watkins’ replacement, Jhon Duran (£6.0m), must be wondering what he has to do to start. He scored within minutes of his introduction with a fine header, making it two goals in three substitute appearances this campaign.
“Always we speak about his potential and the most important [thing] is that he focuses and he has consistency with us. When he arrived in pre-season, he was focusing to stay with us. He has trained well and he has started playing against West Ham, last week and today. He is having chances and scoring.
“Even when Watkins is not scoring, he is doing good work. He had two very good chances last week and today he had two very good chances. The goalkeeper saved them last week and now. We have to try and get the best performances individually and collectively.” – Unai Emery on Jhon Duran
Watkins at least banked a fortunate assist, when a well-worked Villa free-kick skimmed his toes en route to goalscorer Amadou Onana (£5.1m). That’s two set-piece goals in as many matches for the former Everton man, more known for his defensive work.
“We work on set pieces a lot. It’s hours and hours of repetition, so I’m pleased it paid off.” – Amadou Onana
Leon Bailey (£6.5m) hobbled out of this match early and Emery wasn’t exactly positive about him recovering for Gameweek 4.
“It is hamstring. I don’t know exactly how bad his injury is. He came off the pitch with an injury. Hopefully when we come back again Jaden [Philogene, who missed out with a knock] could be available again to play, Leon maybe not.” – Unai Emery
AIT-NOURI ‘OOP’, JOHNSTONE STARTS
Gary O’Neil had to do something after last week’s 6-2 thrashing by Chelsea. Craig Dawson (£4.5m) and, free from suspension, Nelson Semedo (£4.5m) came back in to shore things up.
High on the agenda would also have been getting Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.5m) away from his own goal and further towards the opposition’s.
He certainly did that, using Ait-Nouri as a left-winger in a 4-2-3-1.
Almost immediately, Ait-Nouri was in the thick of things. Two big chances, in the same move, fell his way after the first minute. The Algerian created two opportunities, as well.
The positives associated with an ‘out of position’ (OOP) tag are slightly offset by the minutes risk. He’s probably more likely to be subbed off as a winger, with Hwang Hee-chan (£6.4m), Rodrigo Gomes (£5.4m), Goncalo Guedes (£5.4m) and Pablo Sarabia (£5.4m) all warming the bench yesterday.
Indeed, his afternoon at the City Ground was curtailed after 59 minutes when Hwang replaced him.
On a day of new goalkeepers featuring for their sides, Sam Johnstone (£4.4m) got the nod for Wolves and performed well. Jose Sa (£4.5m) wasn’t even in the squad.
Providing Sa doesn’t complete a mooted move to the Middle East, he’ll return after international duty to fight for his jersey.
“I thought [Johnstone] did well. He looked assured, his use of the ball was good, so it was a good a good day, but he’s obviously not played much recently and only had a couple of days with us, so it was a good start his Wolves career.
“I was disappointed that the goal went in so early for him. It’s a really bad goal for us to concede. A couple of lads lose focus, which we speak about a lot. It can happen, of course, but a disappointing goal. But then, from that moment, he made a couple of good saves, looked assured with the ball, when we were needed to play, he played, when we needed to go longer, he put it in really good areas. Considering how much info we had to get into him in a short amount of time, I thought it was a decent debut for him.
“There’s no situation [with Sa] really. It’s an unsettling week, there’s a lot going on, Jose had a bit going on, I obviously had a big decision to make around goalkeeping, and we decided it was Sam today. But Jose will be back training with a group once he returns from Portugal and the idea is that him and Sam will fight it out.
“I felt that Sam should have the shirt today, but it doesn’t mean it’s always going to be that way. Jose is a fantastic goalkeeper. He’s done an awful lot while I’ve been here, before I was here, so Jose will react in the right way, and he’ll know he needs to come back after the Portugal trip and fight for his place like everyone else does in the in the squad.” – Gary O’Neil
WOOD GOOD
Two of the Premier League’s most ‘1-1’ sides almost inevitably served up a 1-1 draw. Their last five matches have finished level, four of them one-all.
O’Neil declared it a “good solid away performance” after last week’s mauling.
Forest probably edged it, however. After Ait-Nouri’s first-minute double-chance, Wolves had just two shots in the box all game. Jean-ricner Bellegarde‘s (£5.0m) goal, indeed, came from distance.
The Tricky Trees do look solid, boasting the third-best rate of expected goals conceded (xGC) this season, although they’ve had a favourable start, fixture-wise.
The hosts had the better of the chances at the other end. Chris Wood (£6.1m) had five of them, converting one from an Elliot Anderson (£5.0m) corner, and saw a well-taken effort disallowed for offside.
His FPL stock has risen since Friday. The suggestions were that Forest were trying to add to their striking ranks. They didn’t, or at least couldn’t. With only Taiwo Awoniyi (£5.9m) for competition, someone who hasn’t looked the same post-injury, his expected minutes get a boost.
Morgan Gibbs-White (£6.5m) was pulling the strings, unlucky to not get at least an assist when Johnstone repelled Wood’s header. With the arrival of James Ward-Prowse (£6.4m) threatening to take even more set pieces away from him (he’s already lost corners), he went very close with one direct free-kick.
14 days, 6 hours agoCash an option once he is back??