There were mixed fortunes for Arsenal and Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday night. 

Here, we take a look at the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) learnings from their round of 16 second legs.

Both clubs (likely!) blank in Gameweek 31, of course, so they are temporarily taking a backseat in Fantasy terms.

• READ MORE: Gordon, Thiaw + Arsenal and Man City players: Buy, keep or sell in Gameweek 31?
• READ MORE: Scout Notes – Chelsea: Chalobah injury, early subs for Pedro, Enzo + Palmer

RESULTS

SELECTION/ROTATION

WHY HAALAND WAS SUBBED OFF

The main talking point from the City match, other than Bernardo Silva‘s (£6.2m) early red card, was the substitution of Erling Haaland (£14.5m) after only 57 minutes.

Having scored his 57th goal in 58 Champions League appearances, and with City chasing the game, the assumption was that the big Norwegian must have picked up an injury.

But Guardiola moved to allay such concerns afterwards.

“If we scored in the second half – we have two or three chances in the beginning to make it 2-1 before they have a chance – maybe, I don’t know, it’s open, even 10 against 11.

“But after 15, 20 minutes, I wanted fresh legs and other people. I could have [made] more [changes] if it was possible.

“Yep, [he’ll be fit against Arsenal in the Cup final].” – Pep Guardiola on Haaland’s substitution

It sounds like Guardiola decided there was no way back for City. At that point, the hosts were 4-1 down on aggregate and down to 10 men. With half an eye on Sunday’s League Cup final, Pep’s thinking probably was to rest Haaland ahead of the more likely prospect of silverware.

The Norwegian actually had a decent game, scoring City’s only goal and racking up a whopping seven shots in less than an hour:

SEMENYO BENCHED – IS IT CAUSE FOR CONCERN?

The benching of Antoine Semenyo (£8.3m) was another big talking point.

Was this a red flag for FPL managers, or more of an endorsement (i.e. he was being spared for Sunday)? Marc Guehi (£5.2m) and Nico O’Reilly (£5.1m) dropped to the bench, too, after all.

Semenyo’s consistent attacking returns and starts have kept him on the FPL radar since his January move. But after Saturday’s blank and substitution, coupled with post-match comments from Guardiola saying it was a “bad selection” not to start Rayan Cherki (£6.3m), is Semenyo being dragged into the rotation roulette vortex?

It’s probably too early to say. The reality is that Guardiola had to go for it on Tuesday, three goals down. He may have reservations in most games about the “instability” caused by starting Cherki, Haaland and Jeremy Doku (£6.4m) together, but this was an occasion to throw caution to the wind.

Above: How City lined up in the first half, with Doku and Cherki on either side of Haaland

The concern for Semenyo is that the pace and trickery of Cherki and Doku worked well. Haaland looked more threatening as a result of those two being in the side, indeed. Doku alone created six chances, three of which were for the Nordic striker, and the Belgian winger bagged the (Fantasy) assist for the goal.

DECENT SHOWING

City gave a very good account of themselves in the circumstances. Doku and Rayan Ait-Nouri (£5.7m) had efforts ruled out for offside in a valiant second-half effort.

Playing with a man fewer for 70 minutes, City conjured an impressive 22 shots to Madrid’s 14. 

Abdudokir Khusanov (£5.4m) was excellent at the back, too. Might he be upsetting the established order at centre-half, with Ruben Dias (£5.5m) looking poor?

“[Abdukodir] Khusanov, first time playing Champions League. [Rayan] Cherki, first time playing Champions League. Antoine Semenyo, first time playing Champions League. They need time. We are not a complete team, that is the reality. I have seen a Man City team where we had all the aspects that define a team and still we are not [there]. We are an extraordinary team. But we are still not a complete team. The future is bright.” – Guardiola on his young City team in transition

City came up against ill fortune (the sending off was correct but harsh) and an inspired goalkeeper on Tuesday night. That will not happen every week in the Premier League. 

They will now be able to dust themselves down and focus on the league and the domestic cups. And, unlike Arsenal, their fixture schedule will become less congested for the run-in. The dilemma with City remains the same, however: who do you pick? That’s a question that can (probably) wait till Gameweek 32, at least.

HANDBRAKE OFF?

This was perhaps Arsenal’s best performance of the season. Unlike the away leg, when their pressing was off, their energy low, and they had to scrap it out for a smash-and-grab draw in Germany, the return was an entirely different proposition.

Mikel Arteta’s side played with drive, swagger and freedom, outpowering their opponents and giving them no respite. But for a string of remarkable saves by Janis Blaswich, they might have been two or three up inside 20 minutes. Arsenal’s tally of seven shots on target was their joint-most in the first half of a Champions League game on record (since 2003/04).

As it was, they broke the deadlock with a howitzer from Eberechi Eze (£7.2m). Declan Rice (£7.4m) then crowned an all-action display with a well-taken second.

When they take the handbrake off like this, Arsenal are a force to be reckoned with, and their attacking assets are well worthy of consideration for FPL managers. The problem is, the Gunners tend to save these free-wheeling performances for the Champions League, when they are not having to slog it out against low-defensive blocks.

EZE SPRINGS TO LIFE

You know that spring has sprung when the weather begins to improve, the evenings start to get lighter and the flowers come into bloom. Another indicator is the awakening of Eze. He always brightens up at this time of year.

The Arsenal No 10’s improving form might, of course, have something to do with the regular game time that has been afforded him by the absence of Martin Odegaard (£7.8m), and the fact that Arteta’s regimented off-the-ball playbook might finally be starting to sink in. 

Eze’s rocket was a thing of beauty. It was one of three shots, while he also created three chances.

This form has been manifesting in the Premier League of late, too. He had seven shots against Everton in Gameweek 30 and indeed is the midfielder to have had the most goal attempts across the last four Gameweeks (15).

“Yes, he is playing, I think, every three days now. He has a rhythm, an understanding with his teammates as well, what we want, and especially his level of activity, with and without the ball – in the spaces that he moves and the purpose that he’s showing every time he’s in and around the box, as well. It’s a reason why he’s here, to create those kind of moments.” – Mikel Arteta on Eberechi Eze’s form

“Comparing the minutes he’s playing now with his career, he’s playing much more now than in any other season, so that tells you as well the consistency he’s showing, he’s always fit. Today he had to come off – he has a lot of minutes in him – but he’s handling the pressure of the situation and the expectation very well.”
– Mikel Arteta on Eberechi Eze’s consistency

RICE AND RAYA IMPRESS

There were outstanding performances across the board but Declan Rice (£7.4m) was best in show, demonstrating his unique athleticism when finding another gear in the final 20 minutes to put out fires when Leverkusen had started to threaten.

The goal itself did, in a funny way, highlight his lack of open-play goal threat, however. He was behind seven Arsenal players in an attack when the ball was cleared to him, 35 yards out.

David Raya (£6.0m), meanwhile, was reliable again. He has been crucial in helping Arsenal eke out narrow wins in recent weeks, producing at least one or two excellent stops a match. He was at it again on Tuesday, clawing a shot out of the top corner with five minutes left on the clock. Bar injury, he is a lock-in to play every match in the run-in.