It’s the Gameweek 35 Scout Notes you’ve all been waiting for: ‘El Crapico’ and the Marcus Bent Derby.
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MCNEIL PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF
Dwight McNeil (£5.1m) returned to the Everton starting XI for the first time this calendar year on Saturday.
He picked up where he left off in 2024, scoring a swerving effort to put the Toffees 2-0 up. Playing off the right, he whipped in some excellent crosses and was back on set plays.
Not the most glamorous of FPL picks, he’s nevertheless keeping pace with some more household names this season:
Above: The top 10 FPL midfielders sorted by points per start in 2024/25 (minimum 10 starts)
“Getting Dwight back, first time I’ve had Dwight since I’ve been at the club. I thought he scored a good goal, still lacked a bit of intensity in his play in the first half. I actually thought he got better in the second half. Put in three or four brilliant crosses for us in the second half, which probably, if we’d got on the end of one of them, you know, it might have just seen us over the line really.” – David Moyes
McNeil and Everton still have one more very favourable fixture to come in Gameweek 37, when Southampton visit Merseyside for the Goodison Park farewell.
CALVERT-LEWIN RETURNS
Anyone from 13th down in the Premier League has little to play for now, the four teams in this article included. Expect the unexpected when it comes to teamsheets in the run-in.
David Moyes has already been experimenting with his line-up in recent weeks, doing so again on Saturday.
“We’ve tried some different things to do, as well, to see how players play in different roles.
“It’s the sort of things that a lot of the supporters have been asking about. Iliman [Ndiaye] playing as a 10 and, you know, I want to see more of Carlos Alcaraz, so we’ve given them a good opportunity to show what they can do.” – David Moyes
There’s quite a bit of uncertainty up front, especially. Armando Broja (£5.3m) got starts in Gameweeks 32 and 33, with Beto (£4.8m) back to spearhead the attack in the last two matches. And now Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.4m) is fit (for the time being), emerging as a substitute against Ipswich.
Beto nodded Everton in front on Saturday, one of five shots he had against the Tractor Boys.
“Beto’s done great, gets himself another goal today. So he’s been doing really well, Beto. We’re pleased with him.” – David Moyes
Abdoulaye Doucoure (£5.1m) unexpectedly missed out on Saturday but only because of a personal issue.
LEVEL PEGGING
A Julio Enciso (£5.4m) stunner brought Ipswich back into the game out of nowhere, a shot with an xG of 0.02 busting the clean sheets of Everton defenders.
You couldn’t really argue that Kieran McKenna’s side merited a point, however. There was one thunderbolt from each side, and one close-range headed goal apiece too. The visitors even edged the shot count (8-12) and xG race (0.68-1.08, via Statsbomb).
Enciso had a game-high six shots in all, with his goal his fourth attacking return in the last six Gameweeks.
The Tractor Boys are actually top of our Season Ticker in Gameweeks 36-38, so there might be a chance for Enciso and co to bag a few more returns, even if wins are still beyond them.
With McKenna looking towards next season and Liam Delap (£5.6m) expected to leave, you do wonder whether George Hirst (£5.4m) will get another start or two in the run-in. It was Hirst who came off the bench here, indeed, to equalise.
LEAVING PARTY
So, Leicester are slightly less awful than Southampton.
The game dubbed the ‘worst Premier League match of all time’ went the way of the Foxes, who rubber-stamped Saints’ 20th-placed finish.
Both sets of fans booing their own players/manager/board was a statement of how miserable the two sides’ seasons have been.
Jamie Vardy‘s (£5.3m) 11-match drought was finally ended, the veteran striker rolling back the years with a fine finish for his 199th Leicester goal. If you’re looking at ‘personal goals’ for the final three Gameweeks, the departing Foxes stalwart will be aiming to bring up his double century before a summer exit. Really, the Gameweek 37 visit of Ipswich is the only game you’d realistically back him in.
Bilal El Khannouss (£4.8m) was probably the main difference between the two sides, claiming the assist for Vardy’s strike and waltzing through the Saints defence on more than one occasion.
Relegation can sometimes have an unshackling effect on a team but bear in mind that Leicester were already down pre-Gameweek 34 and served up a dismal showing at Molineux. All that Saturday proved was that Southampton are an even smaller fish.
