Fantasy Premier League (FPL) took a breather at the weekend, with the FA Cup instead taking centre stage.
With this being the third round, all 20 Premier League teams were/are involved (Liverpool are to come tonight).
So, our Scout Notes will go through every tie involving a top-flight club and pick out the main talking points.
Many head coaches took the opportunity to rotate their squads after a busy Christmas and New Year, so there will be fewer conclusions from the on-field action than there would be from Premier League games.
But from injuries to new signing debuts, we’ll discuss what is relevant from an FPL perspective.
We start with Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Burnley.
RESULTS
| Team | Opponent | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man City | Exeter City (h) | 10-1 win | Alleyne, Rodri, own-goal x2, Lewis x2, Semenyo, Reijnders, O’Reilly, McAidoo | Semenyo x2, Cherki x2, Reijnders, Doku x2, Lewis, Mukasa |
| Crystal Palace | Macclesfield (a) | 1-2 loss | Pino | Guehi |
| Nottingham Forest | Wrexham (a) | 3-3 draw (lost on pens) | Jesus, Hudson-Odoi x2 | Savona x2, Hutchinson |
| Burnley | Millwall (h) | 5-1 win | Barnes x2, Tchaouna, Anthony, Banel | Bruun Larsen x2, Ekdal, Anthony |
SELECTION/ROTATION
| Team | Changes from GW21’s starting XI | Players who kept their places (mins played) | Mins for other players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man City | 6 | Khusanov (90), Reijnders (90), Alleyne (64), Ake (45), Haaland (45) | Trafford (90), Lewis (90), McAidoo (90), Cherki (90), Semenyo (64), Rodri (45), O’Reilly (45), Mukasa (45), Mfuni (45), Bernardo (26), Doku (26) |
| Crystal Palace | 6 | Guehi (90), Wharton (90), Pino (90), Devenny (69), Canvot (45) | Benitez (90), Richards (90), Sosa (90), Uche (90), Rodney (45), Drakes-Thomas (45), Mitchell (45), Hughes (45), Johnson (45), Casey (21) |
| Nottingham Forest | 8 | Sels (120), Hutchinson (120), Jesus (120) | Jair (120), Morato (120), Savona (97), Luiz (88), Williams (75), Gibbs-White (75), Dominguez (75), Ndoye (69), Hudson-Odoi (51), Zinchenko (45), McAtee (45), Bakwa (45), Awoniyi (32), Murillo (23) |
| Burnley | 8 | Esteve (90), Laurent (66), Ugochukwu (66) | Weiss (90), Hartman (90), Anthony (90), Tchaouna (90), Ekdal (90), Sonne (90), Barnes (90), Bruun Larsen (78), Hannibal (24), Florentino (24), Banel (12) |
MANCHESTER CITY
HOW SEMENYO FARED ON HIS DEBUT
No gradual integration for Antoine Semenyo (£7.6m) at Man City: the £65m signing was straight into the starting XI, little more than 48 hours after his arrival.
Semenyo was stationed on the left wing, where he has spent much of this season at Bournemouth. That’s Jeremy Doku‘s (£6.4m) usual spot but it is also where Phil Foden (£8.7m) started in a handful of matches over Christmas.
If you didn’t catch Pep Guardiola’s pre-match presser last Friday, it’s worth pointing out that the City boss said Semenyo could play on the right, on the left or even up front.
Above: Antoine Semenyo’s heatmap on Saturday, via WhoScored
Semenyo would have banked a ‘Fantasy assist’ – his shot was blocked before Rodri (£6.3m) hammered in – before he assisted for real, supplying an inch-perfect cross for Rico Lewis (£4.7m) to tap in. Then, a debut goal. Set free by Rayan Cherki (£6.8m), Semenyo raced clear to slot home his first City strike and his new club’s sixth of the afternoon.
The Ghanaian winger was lively down the left, tormenting his full-back and whipping in a number of dangerous balls before Lewis got on the end of one. The huge caveat is that it was done against a mid-table League One side – but then this is not a new Premier League arrival we’re discussing here, it’s a midfielder who has delivered 33 FPL attacking returns over the last year and a half.
All eyes on Tuesday night to see if Semenyo is part of what will likely be a more first-choice XI in the EFL Cup semi-finals.
“Antoine is settling well. He’s a humble guy. We followed him for a long time but he brings something to the frontline what we really want and what we need. He can attack quick. He wants to chase. He’s a guy who doesn’t stop and I think you see today that he can adapt quite quickly, as well, to our style.” – Pep Lijnders, sitting in for Pep Guardiola after full-time on Saturday, on Antoine Semenyo
MANAGED MINUTES FOR HAALAND AS O’REILLY PREPARES FOR AIT-NOURI’S RETURN
Just five of City’s Gameweek 21 line-up survived the chop, with two of those, Erling Haaland (£15.1m) and Nathan Ake (£5.3m), taken off at half-time to presumably preserve them for games to come. Ten goals and the big Norwegian didn’t bag one of them…
Rodri was also spared at the interval, while Foden and Matheus Nunes (£5.5m) remained nice and unused on the bench. And after his unbroken, 11-league-match starting run came to an end in Gameweek 21, Nico O’Reilly (£5.3m) was again only a substitute as Ake lined up at left-back – although O’Reilly got on in the second half and showcased his undoubted attacking threat with a headed goal. Rayan Ait-Nouri (£5.7m) now returns to put pressure on O’Reilly, who saw off the Algerian’s challenge comfortably pre-AFCON.
Recalled loanee Max Alleyne (£4.5m) meanwhile started for the second successive match at centre-half. He opened the scoring from a set piece.
Cherki bagged a couple of assists; having seen his own six-match starting run ended in Gameweek 21, it’ll be interesting to see how his game-time fares with Doku back fit and Semenyo on board out wide. Those central roles, where the Frenchman lined up on Saturday, are just as congested, with Foden, Tijjani Reijnders (£5.2m) and Bernardo Silva (£6.2m) all in the mix.
All eyes on Tuesday night at St James’ Park.
CRYSTAL PALACE
RICHARDS STARTS AS MATETA GETS A REST
Chris Richards (£4.4m) was back in a Palace XI for the first time since before Christmas on Saturday.
The American centre-half had been on the bench for the goalless Gameweek 21 draw with Aston Villa but got valuable minutes in the legs at Moss Rose.
There was no Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m) but there’s nothing to be concerned about: Oliver Glasner had confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the striker would be rested.
ANOTHER SET-PIECE GOAL CONCEDED IN HUGE CUP SHOCK
Richards was part of a dismal collective display against sixth-tier Macclesfield, who pulled off the biggest FA Cup shock in history – if measured by league places – by beating Palace 2-1. There was some abysmal defending on show, with yet another set-piece goal conceded. Can dead-ball magnets Omar Alderete (£4.1m) and Dan Ballard (£4.6m) profit in Gameweek 22?
There is some weak mitigation (not that Glasner offered any): a huge injury/unavailable list, a much-rotated XI and this being the 15th match in the last 50 days. But even the established regulars had stinkers, with Marc Guehi (£5.3m) among the first-teamers well below par. He almost let in the hosts for another goal with a weak header.
“I think everything how I try to explain the performance or find some excuses would be completely wrong. I have no words for this performance today and it’s not just losing, it is almost creating no chances in the attack. This was really hard to watch. Nobody who could dribble past one [player]. No physical presence. Not being in the dangerous areas. No sort of… no kind of quality today in our attack.” – Oliver Glasner
Guehi was fouled for Yeremy Pino‘s (£5.8m) late free-kick, a moment of quality out of keeping with the rest of Palace’s display. Pino was one of the main culprits that Glasner alluded to above – and it’s not the first time he’s courted criticism. When Ismaila Sarr (£6.3m) is back in Gameweek 23, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Glasner fields the Senegalese winger and Brennan Johnson (£6.5m) as the dual ’10s’ and Pino makes way.
POSITIVES TO TAKE?
This might have been the nadir for Palace. They’ll start getting bodies back now, with Jefferson Lerma (£4.9m) and Nathaniel Clyne (£3.8m) expected back in Gameweek 22 (as well as Mateta), Sarr returning in Gameweek 23 and Daniel Munoz (£5.8m) anticipated to be available in one of those two weeks, too.
And finally, a midweek’s rest – their first since the November international break. FA Cup elimination also means weekend breathers in mid-February, early March and early April.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
DYCHE SLAMS SECOND STRING
Another Premier League side with some free weekends in the months ahead is Nottingham Forest, who were sent packing by second-tier Wrexham.
Sean Dyche changed all bar two of his 10 outfield players for this contest, handing a platform for his second string to impress. It’s fair to say that he wasn’t overwhelmed.
“First half, I must make that clear, I thought we were absolutely unacceptable. Miles off. Giving the players a platform to go and show us what they can do, and they didn’t, obviously. No tempo to it, no fight, no desire to it. Unacceptable on every level.
“The players that came on – the opposite of that. I thought they were a credit, the way they affected the game immediately, the way they came on and acted as that catalyst for the rest of the players.
“It’s a strange thing, putting a platform on tonight for players to go and show me, like, “I’m ready”, and so many didn’t.” – Sean Dyche
Good news for regulars like Elliot Anderson (£5.3m), then, as the understudies flopped badly.
HUDSON-ODOI BRACE
James McAtee (£5.0m), Oleksandr Zinchenko (£4.9m) and Dilane Bakwa (£5.9m) were all hooked at the break, with Dyche specifically namechecking second-half replacements Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.3m), Nicolas Dominguez (£5.0m) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (£5.7m) as game-changers.
Hudson-Odoi bagged a well-taken late brace, the second a superb chest-and-volley, as Forest battled back from 2-0 and 3-1 down. Igor Jesus (£5.8m), a regular in the Goals Imminent article, nodded in the Tricky Trees’ opener. Those two had a combined nine of Forest’s 31 shots, with half-time substitute Neco Williams (£4.7m) also registering four efforts.
Despite the attempts racking up, it was difficult to argue that Dyche’s troops merited a win. Some meek possession losses led to Wrexham’s first two goals, while Forest’s own set-piece struggles (only three Premier League teams have conceded more from set plays) were again in evidence as the hosts scored their third from a crossed free-kick. And it’s Arsenal up next…
Further goals could have followed, with a horrific Zinchenko pass setting Sam Smith away for a one-on-one chance.
Matz Sels (£4.6m) was again between the posts, with John Victor (£4.0m) missing once more. Further scans are needed on the latter’s knee.
BURNLEY
£4.2M FORWARD BRACE!
The joint-cheapest forward in FPL, Ashley Barnes (£4.2m), bagged a brace as Burnley eased past Millwall.
While another budget striker would be welcomed by FPL managers stripping money from their frontline, in reality, the 36-year-old Barnes’ game-time prospects in the Premier League don’t look much greater than they did before. Armando Broja (£5.2m) was rested for this one, while Lyle Foster (£4.9m) – back from the Africa Cup of Nations – was only absent through illness. There’s also Zian Flemming (£5.3m) to come back from injury.
Most of Burnley’s first team holds little appeal to FPL managers, so their second string won’t be of much interest. Scott Parker made eight changes for this cup tie, although it was interesting to note that Maxime Esteve (£3.9m) survived the cull. Not long back from injury, the Clarets’ most-owned outfielder has now started twice in the space of 72 hours – which is hopefully a good indication that he’s back up to full fitness.
Wingers Loum Tchaouna (£4.9m), Jaidon Anthony (£5.1m) and, on as a substitute, Jaydon Banel (£4.5m) all found the net.
