FPL notes: Why Iwobi + Sarr were subbed off, Mateta brace

Finishing off the Saturday Scout Notes, we look at routine 2-0 away wins for Crystal Palace and Fulham.

• READ MORE: FPL notes: Saliba injury, Watkins v Duran + why Maatsen started
• READ MORE: FPL notes: Kluivert transfer rush + Howe explains his subs
• READ MORE: FPL notes: Darwin v Diaz, a record shot count + Brentford positives
• READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 22 round-up: Saturday’s goals, assists, bonus points + stats
• EXPLORE: All the Opta player and team stats from Leicester City 0-2 Fulham
• EXPLORE: All the Opta player and team stats from West Ham United 0-2 Crystal Palace

WHY IWOBI WAS SUBBED OFF AT HALF-TIME

Following his flukey midweek brace at West Ham, Alex Iwobi (£5.9m) was bought by well over 180,000 FPL managers for Gameweek 22. That made him the fourth-most-purchased midfielder of the Gameweek.

There was no repeat of Tuesday’s heroics this time. Iwobi didn’t even get two appearance points, failing to emerge after half-time.

There was relatively good news on the reason for his withdrawal, at least.

“Nothing with his performance. He had a difficult 24 hours, with the flu last night. In the morning we did assess him and he was okay to play. We had always the doubt if he was able to play all the game. At half-time, he was not feeling so well and we decided to change.” – Marco Silva on Alex Iwobi’s substitution

SMITH ROWE NETS + IMPACT OF BERGE’S RETURN

There was another start for Raul Jimenez (£5.7m) and another substitution midway through the second half. If it gets to the 60-70 minute mark and Fulham are winning, there’s every chance he’s coming off.

Amid all the talk of your Amads, your Rogers and your Kluiverts, a forgotten budget midfielder popped up with his first goal since Gameweek 11.

It’s easy to forget how popular Emile Smith Rowe (£5.2m) was at the beginning of 2024/25; now he’s a bit of an afterthought. He’ll probably remain that way, with Fulham bottom of the ticker (and potentially blanking in Gameweek 29) in the medium term:

After a very rusty first start in over a month in Gameweek 21, Smith Rowe looked more like his early-season self here – prominent in the box and swooping from close range to score.

“He’s a very, very important player for us. Unfortunately for him and for us, he had a difficult December month which broke the momentum and confidence he was playing with.

“He had a small issue in his hamstring, He’s a player who’s had injuries in the past that have completely broken his momentum. Of course, it starts to create some doubts in his mind.

“We were able to rest him and manage him in the best way we could, and it’s really important to have him back. He’s going to arrive at his best again.” – Marco Silva on Emile Smith Rowe

Sander Berge (£5.0m) returning from injury might not be huge FPL news but it is a big plus for Fulham. The Cottagers look more solid in the middle with two shielding midfielders (and ergo, in theory, likelier to keep clean sheets), while it also helps free Smith Rowe up further forward.

While his crossing was for once not always pinpoint, Antonee Robinson (£5.1m) still cashed in with two bonus points to go with a clean sheet.

WHY SARR WAS TAKEN OFF

Like Iwobi, Ismaila Sarr (£5.8m) finds himself in a decent number of FPL teams at present.

The Senegalese winger was a doubt going into Gameweek 22 due to hamstring tightness. He recovered to start but was hooked midway through the second half, which may have unnerved owners as he’s usually a 90-minute man.

The good news: this substitution was pre-planned to avoid the risk of a recurrence.

“We knew with Ismaila Sarr’s hamstring that he shouldn’t play more than 60 minutes. We had to manage the game quite well.” – Oliver Glasner, via South London Press

With eight days separating Gameweeks 22 and 23, Sarr at least gets a good bit of downtime to rest those muscles fully.

The underlying numbers are more of a worry than fitness: he’s had zero or one shots in four of the last five Gameweeks.

MATETA BRACE

Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.3m) has as many goals in the first 18 days of January as he did in the first four months of 2024/25. A brace here took him up to eight goals for the season, four of which have been scored in the last three Gameweeks.

Favourable fixtures have helped breed a bit of form, and the questionable defences of Brentford and Manchester United are up next.

Mateta loves a purple patch: remember in 2023/24 when he scored 14 goals in his final 16 appearances. He’d scored just twice before February of that campaign.

Confidence seems to be flowing back through his veins, with even an 11th-minute effort that was saved hit with real purpose. His first goal, a 47th-minute shot from outside the area, was struck with similar venom.

There was a bit of luck with the late penalty, which Lukasz Fabianski (£4.1m) should have kept out. Another potential taker in Eberechi Eze (£6.7m) had already gone off by that point, although remember that Mateta had taken Palace’s only previous penalty in 2024/25 with Eze on the field.

MUNOZ STILL PROMINENT

This was a third match without a shot for Daniel Munoz (£4.8m), who had registered at least one attempt in all 10 games before that.

Don’t be too dishearted, though, owners: look at his positioning in the lead-up to the two goals, on both occasions a pass away from a clear opening.

ATTACKING STRUGGLES FOR LEICESTER + WEST HAM

Leicester and West Ham, on home soil, were reduced to 0.47 and 0.28 expected goals respectively. Those are the two lowest xG tallies of Gameweek 22 so far.

The lacklustre Hammers didn’t have a shot on target, while the Foxes – as they did in midweek – completely flatlined after a brightish start. Remember that West Ham had scored three goals from just four shots in Gameweek 21.

With the Hammers, injuries are a mitigating circumstance. Both centre-forwards are sidelined, as are dangerous wingers Jarrod Bowen (£7.3m) and Crysencio Summerville (£5.6m). Lucas Paqueta (£5.7m) and Carlos Soler (£5.0m) both had their minutes managed on Saturday, too, the latter struggling with a hamstring issue before the game.

With the more tactically progressive Graham Potter on board and players to come back/arrive in the transfer window, there is at least some hope in east London.

You can’t really say the same about Leicester, where the atmosphere turned very toxic at the weekend. The board, the manager and the players all came in for criticism from a mutinous crowd, who watched their team slump to a seventh straight defeat.

After the initial uplift of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s appointment, things look as bad as ever. They’ve not been utterly humiliated in recent weeks, conceding ‘just’ two goals in each of their last four losses, but goalscoring is a real issue: only two goals have arrived in Gameweeks 16-22.

Just when Leicester needed Jamie Vardy (£5.5m) to be at his trademark clinical best, he’s missed with all 19 of his shots and all six of his big chances in this seven-match losing run.