Concluding the Gameweek 21 Scout Notes is a look at notable Fantasy Premier League (FPL) events from the Emirates Stadium, where a dour goalless draw took place between leaders Arsenal and champions Liverpool.
- READ MORE: FPL notes – Bruno G’s home form, Thiaw early sub + Keane ban
- READ MORE: FPL notes – “Game-changer” Mitoma + why O’Reilly was benched
- READ MORE: FPL notes – Sesko superb, Bruno returns + Wilson keeps scoring
It was a rainy night, with very few chances. But a few FPL talking points still emerged.
CLEAN SHEET GIVEAWAY
No player exceeded 0.24 expected goal involvement (xGI), achieved by Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.6m). Yet four of his five shots were from distance, all off target.
In fact, even though Liverpool’s pair of false nines and promising Conor Bradley (£5.0m) and Jeremie Frimpong (£5.7m) combo bossed the second half, they still ended up without any shots on target. The first time they’ve ‘achieved’ this in the league since March 2010’s defeat at Wigan Athletic.
Perhaps nobody came closer to breaking the deadlock than Bradley. A mix-up between William Saliba (£5.9m) and David Raya (£5.9m) led to a scrambled clearance, allowing the right-back to chip a shot against Arsenal’s crossbar.
As for the Gunners, they remain six points clear at the top, but by failing to have any second-half shots until the 90th minute, they spurned an opportunity to make a statement victory and extend their lead.
Therefore, it’s a good result for FPL managers starting several of Raya, Saliba, Jurrien Timber (£6.3m) and Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.7m). If only the Brazilian had scored this game’s only big chance, right at the death. It would’ve been a third consecutive goal but, instead, such a miss removed him from bonus point contention.
And let’s not forget Liverpool’s unexpected shutout. 209k sellers had just given up on Virgil van Dijk (£5.9m), and a further 404k benched him here. Now, the Dutchman is worth keeping for at least Gameweek 22, versus Burnley at home.
IS HINCAPIE HURT?
However, unlucky owners of Piero Hincapie (£5.3m) missed out. The defender came off hurt just before the hour mark.
Post-match, Mikel Arteta said nothing about the injury. But his run of 10 consecutive league starts will end, if it keeps him sidelined like Riccardo Calafiori (£5.6m) and Cristhian Mosquera (£5.3m).
SHOULD SAKA BE DITCHED?
Meanwhile, it appears that the days of Bukayo Saka (£10.2m) being guaranteed 90 minutes are over. After being overused in previous campaigns, the summer signing of Noni Madueke (£6.8m) is allowing Arteta to be more cautious about starting Saka three times in quick succession.
It’s why the 24-year-old was benched in Gameweeks 14 and 20. And here, with a big game stuck at 0-0, he was taken off in the 78th minute.
Above: Bukayo Saka’s touch heatmap
Goalless in seven outings, Saka has been ticking along with six assists in this time. Perhaps that’s not good enough when Cole Palmer (£10.4m) and Bruno Fernandes (£9.1m) are about to gain Fantasy appeal.
Colleague Declan Rice (£7.3m) boasts 24 more points at a much lower price, though this was a quiet occasion for him as well.
Two chances created, plus an edge-of-the-box shot that was on target but lacked power. No defensive contribution rewards: only Ibrahima Konate (£5.4m) and Martin Zubimendi (£5.2m) achieved this.
ABSENT EKITIKE
Finally, as of now, Arne Slot hasn’t given an update on Hugo Ekitike‘s (£9.0m) status for Gameweek 22. The match is eight days away, after FA Cup action, but a second successive hamstring absence means more autosubs and some prolonged pain for the many who recently sold Igor Thiago (£7.1m) for him.
Hopefully, the next week will provide opportunities for Slot to confirm his availability.
Arguably, the night’s biggest talking point was Gabriel Martinelli (£6.8m) dropping the ball on Bradley and pushing this clearly in-pain player off the pitch, which sparked outrage.
Slot confirmed that the Bradley injury could be severe, having left the stadium on crutches with a knee brace.
“It doesn’t look great, if he has the injury which we fear he might have.” – Arne Slot on Conor Bradley
