Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal all continued their pre-season preparations on Saturday.

We round up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from all three matches.

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CHELSEA 1-2 SPURS

• Goals: Estevao | Tonali, Richarlison
• Assists: Gittens | Solomon, Donley

Chelsea starting XI: Sharman-Lowe; Palestra (Acheampong 80), Fofana (Tosin 80), Colwill (Sarr 80), Hato (Anselmino 62); Essugo (Watson 80), Lavia (Nicoll-Jazuli 46); Estevao (Satpayev 69), Palmer (Walsh 80), Gittens (Kellyman 80); J Pedro (Delap 80)

SCOUT NOTES

• Chelsea suffered a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in Sydney, but the scoreline failed to reflect their dominance after the break. Xabi Alonso’s side controlled the second half following Kevin Danso‘s (£5.0m) dismissal and created enough chances to win the match, only to come up against an inspired Antonín Kinsky (£4.5m).
• Alonso again stuck with a 4-2-3-1 formation rather than the back-three many expected when he arrived at Stamford Bridge, suggesting it could become Chelsea’s preferred system heading into the new campaign.
• The match also brought several important returns. Levi Colwill (£5.0m) made his first start after the long-term injury that ruled him out for much of last season, while Roméo Lavia (£5.0m) returned after missing Chelsea’s previous friendly with a minor muscle issue. Jorrel Hato (£4.5m) also started at left-back after returning from his break, although reports continue to link the Blues with another signing in that position, leaving some uncertainty over who will start once the Premier League season begins.
• One player who continues to strengthen his FPL appeal is Estêvão (£6.5m). The Brazilian scored his first goal of pre-season after drifting away from his marker to power home Jamie Gittens’ (£6.0m) inviting cross at the back post. He also took one of Chelsea’s indirect free-kicks and could easily have added to his tally after the interval. João Pedro (£7.5m) slipped him through after winning possession high up the pitch, but Kinský produced an outstanding save before denying him again from close range minutes later. On another day, Estêvão could easily have left Sydney with a hat-trick.
• Gittens also impressed again. The winger supplied Estêvão’s goal with an excellent delivery and continued the encouraging form he showed in Chelsea’s previous outing. His direct running repeatedly stretched the Tottenham defence, and he looks increasingly comfortable under Alonso.
• João Pedro was unfortunate not to register an attacking return despite another influential display. The Brazilian missed a good chance from close range early on before using his pace to burst through on goal shortly after half-time. Danso hauled him down with only the goalkeeper to beat, leaving the referee with little choice but to produce a red card. Pedro then created another excellent opportunity for Estêvão and later saw a close-range effort brilliantly kept out by Kinský.
• Chelsea’s attack created plenty of opportunities after the dismissal. Cole Palmer (£9.5m), again operating as the No 10, curled the resulting free-kick narrowly wide before later seeing another effort blocked after good work from Marco Palestra (£5.5m), who continued to show his attacking instincts by regularly getting forward from right-back and looking to deliver crosses into the box.
• The Blues’ only real defensive concern came from Tottenham’s opening goal, when a deflected effort wrong-footed Teddy Sharman-Lowe. They otherwise restricted Spurs to very little after the interval before conceding a frustrating stoppage-time winner through Richarlison (£6.0m) following Jamie Donley‘s strike against the post.
• After the match, Alonso admitted Chelsea struggled to control possession during spells of the first half but praised his side’s organisation before the game changed after the red card:

“The first half was really tight. There were moments where we could have kept the ball a little bit more, especially in the last 10 minutes. We were not conceding, so it was important not to lose our shape and not to lose our plan in those moments.” – Xabi Alonso

• The Chelsea head coach also felt the second-half performance deserved more:

“The context changed completely with 10 men. We were really close to scoring. You want to win, but that isn’t the important thing at this stage.” – Xabi Alonso

• Overall, Chelsea produced another encouraging attacking display despite the defeat. Estêvão, Gittens and João Pedro all impressed again. Alonso has now used a 4-2-3-1 formation in consecutive friendlies. That is another trend worth monitoring. Whilst they did lose, FPL managers should be extremely interested ahead of the new season based on that display.

Tottenham Hotspur XI: Kinsky, Gray, van Hecke (Danso 46), Davies (Takai 81), Robertson (Kyerematen 72, Tingey 90), Bergvall (Tye Hall 72), Tonali (Donley 81), Gallagher (Hardy 54), Solomon (Moore 67), Solanke (Richarlison 46), Tel (Williams-Barnett 76)

SCOUT NOTES

• Tottenham Hotspur maintained their unbeaten pre-season with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Chelsea. That was despite playing almost the entire second half with 10 men following Danso’s dismissal. Roberto De Zerbi named his strongest side of pre-season so far, offering several fresh clues for FPL managers ahead of the new campaign.
• There was also an important fitness update before kick-off. James Maddison (£6.5m) and Mateus Fernandes (£6.0m) both remained absent after picking up minor issues. However, De Zerbi insisted neither problem is considered serious:

“James has a small problem. I don’t want to take any risks, especially because he suffered a long injury last season. He’s an important player for us.

“The same for Mateus Fernandes. It is not the right moment to take risks. We will work again when we are back in London.” – Roberto De Zerbi

• The match also saw several key players return. Dominic Solanke (£6.0m) started after missing the previous friendly as a precaution, while summer signings Jan Paul van Hecke (£5.0m) and Andy Robertson (£4.5m) both made their first starts for Spurs. Antonín Kinský (£4.5m) also returned between the posts after Martin Dúbravka (£4.5m) featured last time out and produced an outstanding display that should strengthen his case to begin the Premier League season as first-choice goalkeeper.
• De Zerbi again used a 4-2-3-1 formation. Conor Gallagher (£5.5m) partnered Sandro Tonali (£5.5m) in central midfield, while Mathys Tel (£6.0m) started on the left, Manor Solomon operated from the right, and Solanke led the line.
• Tottenham looked sharp during the first half and deservedly took the lead after 17 minutes. Solomon slid the ball into Tonali’s path, and the Italian drilled a low effort into the net via a slight deflection. It continued an encouraging trend for the summer signing, who has regularly looked willing to test the goalkeeper from distance whenever opportunities arise.
• Solomon impressed again. The winger carried his strong pre-season form into another lively display and supplied Tonali’s goal with an intelligent cut-back after good work down the right flank.
• Tel also continued to strengthen his FPL credentials. The Frenchman fired a first-time effort over following a loose Chelsea pass before producing another driving run that forced Sharman-Lowe into a smart save. Like previous friendlies, he looked confident whenever he received possession and remained one of Tottenham’s biggest attacking threats.
• The game changed shortly after the restart when half-time substitute Danso was sent off for hauling down Pedro as the last defender. Chelsea dominated possession from that point, but Spurs refused to buckle.
• Much of that resilience came from Kinský. The goalkeeper produced a string of outstanding saves. He first tipped Estêvão’s deflected effort onto the crossbar before denying the Brazilian again from close range. Kinsky then reacted brilliantly to keep out João Pedro after a dangerous back pass almost gifted Chelsea a goal. It was arguably the standout individual performance of the match.
• Robertson also offered encouragement from an attacking perspective. The Scotland international took Tottenham’s indirect free-kicks and looked creative whenever opportunities arose to deliver into the box before eventually making way late on.
• Their decisive moment eventually arrived deep into stoppage time. Donley struck the post from range. Richarlison reacted quickest to convert the rebound from close range, maintaining Tottenham’s unbeaten pre-season record.
• After the match, De Zerbi praised his players for the performance:

“We played very well in the first half. The red card changed the game for us and for Chelsea. It’s important to change the habits. We have to believe in the result until the end, even if we stay one player less.” – Roberto De Zerbi

• The Spurs boss also highlighted several players who exceeded their planned workload:

“Sandro Tonali, Archie Gray and Ben Davies all played more than the plan before the game. I am so happy for the young players because they have been very important for us.” – Roberto De Zerbi

• Kinský also received special praise after another excellent display:

“He has all the qualities to become one of the best, especially with his build-up and distribution.” – Roberto De Zerbi

• Overall, Spurs produced another encouraging display. Tonali continued to catch the eye in midfield, while Tel and Solomon both remained lively in attack. Kinský was outstanding and may now have moved into pole position to start the season in goal. De Zerbi has also continued with a 4-2-3-1 formation, another tactical trend worth monitoring over the coming weeks.

ARSENAL 4-1 GIRONA

• Goals: Havertz, Tzolis, Dowman, Jesus
• Assists: Dowman, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, White

Arsenal XI: Arrizabalaga (Meslier 61), White (Clarke 61), Mosquera (Copley 61, Julienne 85), Hincapie (Salmon 32), Calafiori (Ogunnaike 61), Lewis-Skelly (Ibrahim 61), Havertz (Vieira 32, Clarke 61), Nwaneri (O’Neill 61), Dowman (Nelson 61), Tzolis (Kabia 61), Gyokeres (Jesus 32, Agustien 85)

SCOUT NOTES

• Arsenal opened their public pre-season schedule with a convincing 4-1 victory over Girona in Spain.
• The match itself looked fairly balanced statistically, but Arsenal showed far more quality in both boxes. Mikel Arteta’s side took their chances well and responded quickly after conceding early in the second half.
• Several major names missed out. Bukayo Saka (£9.5m), Declan Rice (£7.5m), Gabriel Magalhães (£8.0m) and William Saliba (£6.0m) were among the notable absentees, with Saliba facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines through injury.
• Kai Havertz (£7.5m) operated in midfield rather than leading the line, while Viktor Gyökeres (£7.5m) started up front. Havertz, Gyökeres and Piero Hincapié (£5.5m) all featured for around half an hour as Arsenal managed their workloads following the World Cup.
• Havertz opened the scoring after an excellent pass from Max Dowman (£5.5m) released him through the middle. The German carried the ball into the area and calmly finished past Paulo Gazzaniga.
• It marked an encouraging return for Havertz, who later confirmed he feels ready for the new season:

“I feel good, feel strong and I’m ready to go. You saw already the connections we had on the pitch. It was a good test for us and I think we played strong.” – Kai Havertz

• Dowman produced one of the standout performances. The teenager created the opening goal before adding Arsenal’s third with a superb long-range finish after cutting inside from the right.
• He also drove into the Girona box shortly before half-time and appealed for a penalty. The referee waved play on, but his confidence and direct running caused problems throughout. Arteta praised Dowman after the match:

“We know what he’s capable of doing. We want to be more consistent in terms of the performances and the actions that he can deliver. I think today he had a really good game.” – Mikel Arteta

• Summer signing Christos Tzolis (£6.5m) also made an immediate impact on his Arsenal debut. The winger started on the left and took an early indirect free-kick, which led to Calafiori heading straight at the goalkeeper.
• Tzolis then scored Arsenal’s second goal. Calafiori fed him down the left before the Greek international drove into the box and powered a low finish into the far corner. He also created a promising opening for Gyökeres, although his pass arrived slightly behind the striker. That prevented the Swede from making clean contact. Arteta highlighted Tzolis’ direct style and early adaptation.

“I’m very pleased with him. First of all, the way he has adapted to the club and to the team. He’s a very direct player. He’s really good at linking up. He comes with so much hunger and wants to prove it.” – Mikel Arteta

• Gyökeres led the line but struggled to make a major impact before leaving the pitch after around 30 minutes. Arsenal’s best moments often came through Havertz, Dowman and Tzolis attacking the spaces around him.
• Gabriel Jesus (£6.0m) replaced Gyökeres and added Arsenal’s fourth shortly after Girona pulled one back. Ben White (£5.5m) won the ball high up the pitch, allowing Jesus to race clear and finish decisively.
• Girona’s goal came from a corner. Arnau Martínez escaped his marker and powered a header beyond the goalkeeper, providing Arsenal’s only major defensive setback of the contest.
• Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5.0m) started between the posts before Illan Meslier (£5.0m) made his Arsenal debut after the hour mark. Meslier quickly produced two smart saves to deny Abel Ruiz. His arrival could create further uncertainty around Kepa’s long-term future at the club.
• Arsenal continued to control the match after making nine substitutions. The changes reduced the tempo, although the younger players still gained valuable minutes. Arteta felt the performance offered several positive signs:

“I’ve seen a lot of things that make me very, very positive. We know the qualities and the capacity that we have to compete with any other team. We need to prove that we belong at this level.” – Mikel Arteta

• Overall, Arsenal made an impressive start to pre-season. Dowman stole the show with a goal and an assist, while Tzolis marked his debut with a confident finish. Key players are yet to return, though. So we could see Arsenal go from strength to strength during pre-season.