FPL notes: Gusto, Winks + Neto fitness latest, Enzo advanced

The Danny Drinkwater Derby went the way of Chelsea on Saturday, with Enzo Maresca – and a handful of his players – making a successful return to the home of former employers Leicester City.

We pick out the key takeaways from this match in our next Gameweek 12 Scout Notes piece.

Don’t forget that you can get Opta and Statsbomb data from this and every other Premier League fixture in our Match Centre.

• READ MORE: FPL notes: Semenyo ban + Hurzeler hails “difference maker” Pedro
• READ MORE: FPL notes: Odegaard’s influence, why Wood + Havertz were subs
• READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 12 round-up: Saturday’s goals, assists, bonus points + stats

GUSTO, COLWILL AND NETO LATEST UPDATES

There were two surprise absentees from the Chelsea teamsheet on Saturday. Malo Gusto (£4.9m) and Pedro Neto (£6.2m) missed out on the 2-1 win over Leicester City, neither even featuring on the bench.

Gusto had been flagged in FPL after withdrawing from international duty but it was illness, not injury, that forced his absence.

Neto meanwhile came back from Portugal with an issue that wasn’t previously declared.

“Malo was with us but during the night, he unfortunately did not feel well in terms of ill. Pedro, he had a problem with his international team. There was a chance he could be with us but we didn’t take any risks for this game and hopefully, he can be available for the next game.” – Enzo Maresca

Elsewhere, Levi Colwill (£4.5m) was on the turf and being attended to by the Chelsea physios after full-time. The good news there is that, like Gusto, illness was to blame.

“Exactly the same as Malo. He didn’t feel very well during the night and this morning. But he could play, finish the game, and hopefully it is nothing important.” – Enzo Maresca on Levi Colwill

ENZO ADVANCED

Gusto’s absence may have partly been the reason for Enzo Fernandez (£4.8m) starting. Gusto had been advancing from right-back to play almost as a number 10 of late, which Maresca had previously said was why he favoured a double defensive midfield shield in Romeo Lavia (£4.5m) and Moises Caicedo (£4.9m).

With neither Wesley Fofana (£4.5m) nor Marc Cucurella (£5.0m) doing that on Saturday, Maresca allowed one of his central midfielders to get forward that bit more. The quality of opposition was also likely a factor for a more gung-ho approach.

Above: Chelsea’s formation almost resembled a 3-1-3-3/3-1-5-1 at times, with Cucurella providing the width and Joao Felix tucking inside to join Palmer and Enzo in advanced central roles

Fernandez even outscored Cole Palmer (£10.9m) for penalty box touches (five v four) and shots (three v two). The Argentina international was advanced enough to supply Nicolas Jackson (£7.9m) with the assist for his well-taken goal and then doubled the lead himself, following in Jackson’s saved header.

“Enzo did really well today. He is doing very well since we started. The same as I said many times for Joao Felix, the problem is it depends on the game-plan; we use different kind of players.

“Today I thought was the right game to use Enzo even if he was back from international duty [late]. I think he did very well. I’m trying to convince Enzo in the same way as I did last year with Ndidi and Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall] that attacking midfielders need to arrive in the box. The reason why he scored today was because he was inside the box and if he was outside of the box, he wouldn’t have scored the goal. We are happy in the way Enzo is doing.” – Enzo Maresca on Enzo Fernandez

Maresca is proving himself to be tactically flexible. You wouldn’t even be surprised if Enzo, so good here, was back on the bench in Gameweeks 13 and 15, especially if Gusto is fit. Lavia and Caicedo could certainly be favoured against more potent Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur attacks.

PALMER DENIED… BY MADUEKE

It was a quiet afternoon from Palmer. We’re used to him disappearing more in bigger games but he’s been a flat-track bully since his move last summer, so more was expected here.

Was it just a bit too cramped for space with Felix, Jackson and Enzo jostling for central positions? There were certainly a few instances of the England international dropping deeper on Saturday.

That said, only sheer bad luck – and Noni Madueke (£6.4m) – prevented him from tapping this 0.85-xG chance in:

Imaginem este lance com a música dos palhaços 😂#DAZNPremier pic.twitter.com/hkidycn7zO

— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) November 23, 2024

As for Jackson, it’s now 11 attacking returns in 12 starts for the Senegalese striker. His ever-present starter status may be challenged by the busy December schedule, as well as a possible one-match ban for yellow card accumulation.

Speaking of which, that’s probably why there aren’t more takers in FPL at present. He’s been sitting on four bookings since Gameweek 10, with one more caution triggering a suspension. A Chelsea forward scoring while contiuing to defy a fifth yellow card – sounds familiar…

THE FLAT FOXES

Robert Sanchez (£4.7m) might as well have been in Mykonos for this match, not making a single save.

Leicester had just four shots all game, the last of which was a 95th-minute Jordan Ayew (£5.2m) penalty. Frustration for owners of Chelsea defenders and Jamie Vardy (£5.6m) alike as the veteran Leicester forward had already been substituted.

The Foxes are ranked 19th for xG this season, yet they’ve still managed to bust Fantasy managers’ clean sheets in every game but one.

Their most-selected player in FPL, the 12%-owned Harry Winks (£4.5m), went off very early on Saturday. Alternative bench fodder may be need for some Fantasy bosses, then, depending on the results of a scan.

“He has hurt his groin but how serious, I don’t know. Sometimes these things can be minimal, a week or so, sometimes longer. We’ve got our fingers crossed.” – Steve Cooper on Harry Winks

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