FPL notes: Botman + Martinelli injury scares, Newcastle’s 5-4-1

We’ve already covered the big Fantasy Premier League (FPL) implications from Wednesday’s EFL Cup tie.

That is:

• Newcastle United and Crystal Palace‘s Blank Gameweek 29 fixture will be postponed, with a new date TBC
• Arsenal and Chelsea won’t now double in Gameweek 25 but they will have a fixture in Blank Gameweek 29

But what about the rest of the talking points from a feisty night on Tyneside? Our Scout Notes article takes a look.

MARTINELLI INJURY SCARE – CHANCE FOR £4.5M NWANERI?

Already short of a few bodies in attack, and not bolstering the numbers in the transfer market, Arsenal may have lost another key player to injury on Wednesday evening.

Gabriel Martinelli (£6.7m) limped out of the action at St James’ Park in the first half.

“He felt something, I think it was his hamstring, and he wasn’t comfortable to continue, so we have to have an MRI scan tomorrow to see the extent of the injury.” – Mikel Arteta on Gabriel Martinelli

In came Ethan Nwaneri (£4.5m), who not for the first time this season showed up his more senior teammates. A bright spark on the right wing, he was one of the few Gunners to emerge with any credit from this loss.

Will he get more of a sustained run in the team now, then? That may depend on the severity of Martinelli’s injury. The Brazilian was spotted joining the squad on Thursday for their warm-weather camp in Dubai but of course, he may be doing rehab over there rather than training.

Arsenal do have a 10-day gap without any action before Gameweek 25. Therefore, Martinelli could very easily still be ready for Leicester City away if he’s sustained a mild injury.

SAKA SPOTTED

Also sighted boarding the flight to the Middle East was Bukayo Saka (£10.2m).

Ben White (£6.1m) is also involved in the mid-season jolly.

Ben White and Bukayo Saka are amongst the Arsenal squad travelling to Dubai 👀 pic.twitter.com/pSrOvYdbL7

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 6, 2025

March has long been mooted as an approximate return date for Saka, so it may be just that his ongoing rehab is continuing in sunnier climes.

FAMILIAR + UNFAMILIAR FAILINGS

Oh, how Arsenal could do with Saka back now.

The notion that more firepower was needed in the January window was certainly furthered by this performance in the north-east. It was also the story in the first leg.

As brilliant as Newcastle were over those two matches, they weren’t 4-0 better. But while one side has one of the best strikers in the world leading the line, the other has Kai Havertz (£7.8m) and an inconsistent supporting cast. Now, Havertz is not a bad player. Far from it. But he looks utterly devoid of confidence, as evidenced by misses in recent weeks.

Scout user Jimmy B summed it up excellently in a comment yesterday:

Martin Odegaard (£8.2m) spurned Arsenal’s best chance of the game, shaving the post with a sliced effort. A minute later, Newcastle were 1-0 up on the night and 3-0 on aggregate. Leandro Trossard (£6.8m) also couldn’t divert a close-range shot past Martin Dubravka (£4.3m) as the tie slowly drifted away from the visitors.

As for unfamiliar failings, we’re not used to seeing the usually exceptional William Saliba (£6.2m) and Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.3m) so rattled. That’s more credit to Alexander Isak (£9.5m) and the Newcastle press monsters rather than a criticism of the Gunners’ twosome.

Newcastle’s intensity indeed led to Arsenal errors and Anthony Gordon‘s (£7.6m) second-half goal. Having fired a warning shot by missing an open goal from distance, Gordon wasn’t to let David Raya (£5.5m) off a second time.

NEWCASTLE CHANGE SYSTEM

Sitting on a 2-0 lead from the first leg, Howe opted to go with a more conservative formation but keep the aggression up front. It worked wonders as the Magpies beat Arsenal to nil for the third time this season.

Isak had already seen a goal chalked off for a marginal offside when he hit the woodwork with another one-on-one, the rebound falling for Jacob Murphy (£5.1m) to score. Gordon then put the game to bed.

Above image from BBC Sport

Howe’s team change was partly forced by Joelinton (£6.0m) being injured – he’s out for “weeks” – but rather than call upon another central midfielder to replace him, Howe reinstated Sven Botman (£4.4m). Kieran Trippier (£5.6m) also ousted Tino Livramento (£4.5m).

What chance of seeing this formation again, then?

“We needed more height in the team tonight. That was such a big thing with the set play threat so we wanted to try and find a way to get Dan, Sven and Fabby into the same team and I thought that certainly helped us in that respect.

“We’ve used that system before, I’d probably say in about three or four games this season, so it’s something that we will turn to if we feel it’s right and the game and the opponent is the best way to match up against them. So, it’s always something we look at.

“If it’s something we really like the look of and we think it adds value, it’s something we could do again, definitely.” – Eddie Howe

BOTMAN INJURY WORRY

One barrier to playing a 5-4-1 again would be the renewed absence of Sven Botman.

The Dutch defender was brought off in the closing stages with knee discomfort, which will be a concern given that he’s just returned from a long-term lay-off.

“I don’t quite know what the problem was with Sven, why he had to be withdrawn. I think it was a knee issue, and we hope it’s okay, he’s such an important player.

“He’s still coming back to his best feeling and rhythm after a long-term injury but we certainly respect his qualities.

“We felt today that it was just a must that we got him in the team with his physicality, with his strength and his ball-playing ability. I was very, very pleased with his performance, but of course we need to check the injury and check he’s okay.” – Eddie Howe