Continuing the Gameweek 26 Scout Notes is a look at notable Fantasy Premier League (FPL) events from Selhurst Park, where Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.1m) bagged a brace for new club Crystal Palace.
- READ MORE: FPL notes – Is Haaland injured? Guardiola on his half-time removal
- READ MORE: Wednesday’s goals, assists, bonus + DefCon points
A few talking points emerged for FPL managers.
TWO STRAND LARSEN GOALS
The kick-off was delayed by 10 minutes because heavy traffic affected Burnley’s team bus, but a mad first half rewarded viewers for their patience.
And things were looking so good for Palace. It looked like they’d follow up their much-needed first win in 10 matches with another one, as Strand Larsen had them reach two goals in a match, which doesn’t happen often.
Bought from Wolverhampton Wanderers just over a week ago for £48m, the Norwegian netted 14 times last season and only needed 17 minutes to score on his home debut, assisted by Adam Wharton (£5.0m). Soon after, he stooped low to head in Jefferson Lerma‘s (£4.9m) cross.
In a barren landscape of FPL forwards, a lot of managers will now be tempted to buy this low-priced option.
Yet it may just be chasing points, because Palace are already midway through these supposedly great-looking back-to-back home games. They lost this one, and next up is his former club Wolves.
After hosting Leeds United in mid-March, the Eagles have a Blank Gameweek 31. Well done to those who benefited from this brace, though.
MUNOZ XGI LEADS NOWHERE
Meanwhile, both Ismaila Sarr (£6.4m) and Daniel Munoz (£5.9m) were bought by over 200,000 in the quick turnaround. The Senegalese attacker scored in Gameweeks 24 and 25, whereas the Colombian wing-back is known for his huge attacking threat.
Sarr very nearly equalised in second-half stoppage-time, denied by Martin Dubravka (£4.0m).
As for Munoz, last season’s best defender for penalty area shots, attempts on target and expected goals (xG) had already racked up three goals and three assists by this campaign’s Gameweek 14.
Above: Statsbomb showing Daniel Munoz’s chances created (left) and goal attempts (right) versus Burnley
At the back, he’s only beaten by Jurrien Timber (£6.4m) for expected goal involvement (xGI). And 1.00 of this 5.23 came on Wednesday night, via two box shots and five chances created, including a huge Daichi Kamada (£5.0m) moment that should’ve been scored from a few yards out.
Nine matches into Double Gameweek 26, Munoz can boast the third-best non-penalty xGI. Not bad for a defender.
However, Oliver Glasner removed him in the 72nd minute, when chasing that third goal.
BUY SOME CHEAP BURNLEY?
Making things worse is that Palace’s defenders couldn’t even keep a clean sheet, thanks to Burnley’s remarkable comeback.
Approaching the 40th minute, they were two up. But by half-time, the Clarets found themselves 3-2 ahead.
Hannibal Mejbri (£4.7m) completed a nice move, Jaidon Anthony (£5.0m) put his shot by the near post, then a corner was tipped onto Lerma for an unlucky own goal.
“When we defend so sloppy in these eight minutes, we deserve to lose. We controlled the game, scored nice goals. But then we forgot about the basics.
“About the duels, second balls, defending, complaining about the referee’s decision, stopping during play.
“We were still complaining when we concede a goal. Maybe it felt too easy [for us] to be 2-0 up and controlling the game. Then we got punished.” – Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner
This meant that goalkeepers and defenders from both sides lost a point for conceding multiple times. Chris Richards‘ (£4.4m) yellow card took his tally to zero, although Maxence Lacroix (£5.1m) reached three because of defensive contribution (DefCon) success.
A goalless second period ensured Burnley grabbed their first win since Gameweek 9. To have a chance of escaping relegation, they need to string two or three of these together. In fairness, their schedule between Gameweeks 28 and 33 looks ok, ranking fourth on our Fixture Ticker.
Having something to play for could, for example, add appeal to cheap midfielders Anthony and Marcus Edwards (£4.7m).
