Tottenham Hotspur’s jaw-dropping freefall continued on Thursday night, though Fantasy Premier League (FPL) attention focuses on the early injury suffered by Crystal Palace defender Daniel Munoz (£5.9m).
Here are our Scout Notes from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Saliba injury + Arsenal’s defence superb
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Tarkowski + Dewsbury-Hall joy, as Garner delivers again
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 29: Wednesday’s goals, assists, bonus + ‘DefCon’ points
INJURY FOR MUNOZ
A seventh-minute collision with Spurs’ João Victor de Souza (£4.0m) had Munoz land heavily on his right shoulder. He could only last a few more minutes before being taken off, staying on one FPL point.
“He’s in a shoulder brace. We will do further assessments. Hopefully it’s not too bad.
“He says it doesn’t feel so bad, but a shoulder [issue] is always tricky, hopefully not too long.” – Oliver Glasner on Daniel Munoz, from the London Evening Standard
Meanwhile, those who covered Palace’s defence via Chris Richards (£4.4m) picked up defensive contribution (DefCon) rewards, to reach four points.
VAN DE VEN SUSPENSION
Ismaila Sarr‘s (£6.3m) offside goal – ruled out because of his face – gave a warning of what was to come. But the opener actually came from a close-range Dominic Solanke (£7.2m) tap-in.
Things looked good for Spurs. But it didn’t take long for the self-destruction to resurface.
Sarr was soon fouled by last-man Micky van de Ven (£4.4m), bringing a red card and penalty. The centre-back is still in over 2.8 million squads, delivering -3 points, though a million active managers ditched him before the latest six deadlines. He will now miss Gameweek 30.
A SARR BRACE
15 minutes after Solanke’s strike, that lead had already been overturned into a 3-1 half-time deficit.
Sarr’s spot kick sent Guglielmo Vicario (£4.7m) the wrong way, Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.1m) put a shot through his legs, before the Senegalese international nipped in once more. The latter two were assisted by 10-pointer Adam Wharton (£5.0m).
Enraged, lots of Spurs fans had left by the interval appearance of Team GB’s curling silver medalists.
As for Sarr’s FPL prospects, him being ahead of Strand Larsen on penalty duties is promising. But he has a Morgan Rogers-esque (£7.5m) tendency to burn managers who excitedly buy him straight after these occasional hauls.
For example, last season, he scored three goals across Gameweeks 16 and 17, then none in the next nine outings. A further three came between Gameweeks 27 and 28, followed by another nine matches of nothing.
It’s also worth saying that Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) is due back from injury this week, and he has historically been ahead of Sarr on spot-kicks.
If you think Sarr is a risk worth taking, Palace’s next fixtures are at home to Leeds United, Newcastle United and West Ham United. A nice few, but Blank Gameweek 31 would need navigating, should it soon be confirmed.
GW30: CAPTAIN EKITIKE?
So, at what point does the world of football need to start seriously considering a Tottenham relegation?
This defeat was maybe the moment.
Winless in 11, they’ve conceded at least two goals in nine successive games. The side that just finished fourth in the UCL league phase finds itself one point outside the bottom trio.
There’s some noise that interim boss Igor Tudor could already be on his way out after three matches. He tried to shake things up by making four changes from the weekend, moving Xavi Simons (£6.5m) and Conor Gallagher (£5.3m) to the bench. But it didn’t work, despite them starting the second half slightly better.
Yet the club is in total disarray, showcased by Pedro Porro (£5.1m) losing his head once substituted, shouting in anger.
Perhaps Spurs are the only opponent where there’d be confidence in captaining Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike (£9.1m). After all, the Frenchman is mainly frustrating owners in away games, rather than at home, where he has two double-digit hauls from his last three.
Let’s see how the upcoming FA Cup action unfolds before going all-in on Gameweek 30’s Anfield hosts.
