Scout Notes

Encouraging signs for Jiménez despite blank against Newcastle

It was a largely anti-climactic end to Gameweek 26 as the host of popular Wolves options failed to deliver.

However, there was still enough from the newly-promoted side to suggest they can continue to secure positive results on this appealing run of fixtures they find themselves on.

We’ve assessed their key players’ performances against Newcastle in this latest Scout Notes article.

Wolves 1-1 Newcastle United

Goals: Willy Boly (£4.6m) | Isaac Hayden (£4.3m)

Assists: Adama Traoré (£5.1m) | Fabian Schär (£4.6m)

Raúl Jiménez (£6.8m) may have blanked for the first time since Gameweek 22, but he was as busy as ever in front of goal against Newcastle on Monday night. No player at Molineux matched his six shots in the penalty box, and neither did any other option in the whole of Gameweek 26. Jiménez sits top of that statistic for the entire division this weekend, level there with Wilfried Zaha (£6.7m). Unfortunately for his 32% ownership, just one of those was on target but he continues to offer the potential for assists as only Joao Moutinho (£5.3m) created more chances than him at Molineux. All of that does bode well for future Jiménez attacking returns, as Wolves continue on an appealing run of fixtures. Up next is a trip to Bournemouth before Huddersfield (away) and Cardiff (home) in Gameweeks 28 and 29 respectively.

Once again, Jiménez outperformed his colleague Diogo Jota (£6.0m) from a statistical point of view and justifying his loftier price tag in comparison. The Portuguese FPL midfielder was substituted in the 68th minute after receiving a yellow card for a coming together with Fabian Schär (£4.6m). That meant just one point in Gameweek 26 for Jota, although the appealing nature of Wolves’ run warrants keeping faith in him.

The same should be said of Moutinho who garnered transfer interest after recording five assists in the three matches prior to Gameweek 26. A match-up with Newcastle looked to be perfect for his attacking potential as no team had allowed more chances from set pieces, in which Moutinho is involved, than the Magpies between Gameweeks 22 and 25. However, the Portuguese’s delivery on Monday night was not quite up to scratch. His new owners will hope that was just a one-off.

Wolves probably should have won the game based on the balance of chances. They fashioned 22 chances to Newcastle’s nine, 16 of which were in the box and six were on target. Accordingly, they were ahead on expected goals (xG) too by a score of 2.41 to 0.43. However, they were unable to take their chances when they were on top of the game, a Rui Patrício (£4.5m) error allowing Isaac Hayden’s (£4.3m) second-half shot into the net. From that point onwards, Nuno had to go to ‘plan B’, introducing the usual suspects from the bench, Hélder Costa (£4.7m), Ivan Cavaleiro (£5.2m) and Adama Traoré (£5.1m). It was the latter whose speculative cross to the back-post in stoppage-time was nodded home by a high-rising Willy Boly (£4.6m)

“The performance deserved goals. We produced, we combined, we create situations but the final touch was not there but it something we must improve and be more clinical. The game requires that quality of the players.” – Nuno Espirito Santo

It was a disappointing night for the 25% of Fantasy managers invested in Matt Doherty (£5.4m). Patrício’s error ensured the first blank for the Irish wing-back since Gameweek 23, who was unable to play a part in Wolves’ efforts to rescue a point. It was Doherty who made way for Traoré in the 80th minute.

This was the sort of match in which Wolves defensive assets were expected to keep a clean sheet. Newcastle arrived at Molineux bottom of the league for goal attempts inside the box, efforts on target and total big chances in the four away matches prior to Gameweek 26. Obviously, Patrício’s error is partially to blame, as the Magpies failed to create a single big chance on Monday night, but Wolves continue to show better defensive strength away from home this season than in front of their away fans. At Molineux in 2018/19, they have conceded an average of 1.4 goals per league game, compared to 1.2 per away match.

The standout Fantasy asset for Newcastle was goalscorer Isaac Hayden (£4.3m) who has been making a strong case for inclusion as a fifth midfielder in recent weeks. All three of his attacking returns this season have now come in the last four Gameweeks after the 21-year-old has stepped up his performances of late. Having started the last eight in a row, Hayden is offering the potential for both goals and assists.

Of midfielders priced £4.5m or under, only Dwight McNeil (£4.4m) has created more chances than him since Gameweek 23. Jeffrey Schlupp (£4.4m), Adama Diakhaby (£4.5m) and the Burnley man are the only options from the chosen bracket to have shot more often in that time frame. Crucially, from those options, only McNeil can offer a similar healthy balance between the two statistics. With Huddersfield (home), Burnley (home), West Ham (away) and Everton (home) the next four opponents for Newcastle, there is definitely the possibility for further returns for Hayden.

Also of note is the recent performances of Schär, who picked up the assist for Hayden’s goal. Like his colleague, he now has three attacking returns in four matches, although his output feels slightly less sustainable. Schär’s pass to Hayden on Monday night was his only chance created in the last four Gameweeks, while he has shot on four occasions in that period.

Rafa Benitez continues to set his Newcastle side up to frustrate the opposition, which could easily account for the difficulties Wolves’ attacking players had on Monday night. The former Liverpool man has typically deployed 5-4-1 in recent weeks, but he went with a 4-4-2 led by Salomón Rondón (£5.7m) and Ayoze Pérez (£6.1m) at Molineux. Manchester City, Spurs and now Nuno’s newly-promoted side know how hard it can be to play against such an organised outfit. The Magpies should certainly not be overestimated when looking at upcoming opponents of our attacking assets in the final Gameweeks of the season, especially as Premier League survival is increasingly on the line for them.

New signing Miguel Almirón (£6.0m) made his debut for Newcastle when he came on for Christian Atsu (£5.1m) in the 72nd minute. He did inject some pace into the game but it might still be a short while before the former Atlanta United man gets his first Premier League start. Benitez explained after the match that he still needs to understand Newcastle’s style of play.

“We needed some fresh legs and energy and he could make the runs. He was fine. He needs to understand what we need to do.” – Rafa Benitez

Wolves XI (3-5-2): Patrício; Boly, Cody, Bennett; Jonny, Neves, Moutinho, Dendoncker (Cavaleiro 69′), Doherty (Traoré 81′); Jota (Costa 69′), Jiménez.

Newcastle United XI (4-4-2): Dubravka; Lejeune, Lascelles, Schär, Yedlin; Atsu (Almirón 72′), Longstaff, Hayden (Diamé 86′), Ritchie; Pérez (Manquillo 90+1′), Rondón.

574 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Miguel Sanchez
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    From GW 28:

    A) Lacazette and Robertson (have TAA)
    B) Lascelles and Aguero (have Sterling)

    1. The 5% Team
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      B

    2. StayoutheSpiceZone
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      A

    3. Amey
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      A

    4. #FPLBhuna
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      B

  2. The Red Devil
    • 9 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    UCL fantasy team for matchweek 7

    Ederson Olsen
    Carvajal Guerrero Shaw Laporte Tagliafico
    Salah coutinho Sancho son Pogba
    Rashford Aguero Messi

    Too many United players?

    1. Pierce34
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      I don't see the need for United defence personally.

      I'm probably going with as few PL players as possible, but that's more for the sake of variety than anything else!

      1. The Red Devil
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        What's your defence looking like? Personally i think City will smash Schalke, couldn't find too many better than Shaw at that price range, who I don't already own

        1. Pierce34
          • 8 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          I don't even remember, haha! Tried to log on now to have a tinker but the website looks to be down. I do remember I've had double Juventus throughout the group stages and Nagatomo as the cheap makeweight. I'll just see who starts tonight and pick accordingly, can't have rotation doubts in my team.

    2. Pierce34
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Oh, and is Sancho expected to start now? I had him for a few games in the groups but he was always benched.

      1. The Red Devil
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        The UEFA website team news has him starting, should start considering alcacer & reus are injured

      2. Ask Yourself
        • 7 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        At his best at the moment. Time to show city what they’re missing by tearing shaw and young in half. Should have seen him vs hoffenheim on weekend

        1. The Red Devil
          • 9 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Shaw & young? You mean trippier & rose?

    3. CROCosta
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      couple of things i do not like:
      shaw - rather go for another city defender like walker or stones
      coutinho - doubful to play and too expensive
      aguero - might not start and even if he does start, he does not do well away from home, get him for second leg only if needed, plenty of other solid fwd options at that price point to choose from like mbappe, suarez, dzeko, benzema

      1. The Red Devil
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Shaw- I already have Laporte & ederson, not sure I'd like to triple up on city defence
        Coutinho- started every game in UCL so far & is amongst the top scoring mids who are fit or not eliminated
        Aguero- is in insane form, not sure who can be a good replacement, maybe mbappe or dzeko, others have tough ties or aren't in form, who'd you suggest?

        1. CROCosta
          • 5 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          city best chance for clean sheet by far so no reason to not triple up
          coutinho if staring should get you some points but keep in mind he has fallen out of favor recently and both malcom and dembele are threat to him, if you don't mind the gamble for such a price go for him but honestly would rather gamble with a city mid like sane or dilva then with coutinho
          aguero is in insane form but do not forget his stats away from home are not something to write home about and he may not play or play 30mins or so, just pick one starting forward from any strong team - any of the 4 mentioned before are good picks and anyones guess who will score more, or you could downgrade coutinho to 7.0 like ziyech and get ronaldo, that is a solid option as well

    4. Zladan
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Hearing Coutinho may not start.

      I think there are better premium options available than Salah, especially considering LFC play Bayern.

      Olsen is injured.

      1. The Red Devil
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Hearing coutinho might not start? Their match is next Tuesday

      2. The Red Devil
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Yeah, Olsen I'll keep tabs on lineups

  3. TaiwanHC
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    What's the probability of Leicester blanking in the upcoming GWs?

    I'm considering doing Richarlison to Maddison tonight to avoid Richarlison's price drop.

    1. StayoutheSpiceZone
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      He is such a frustrating player to watch! So much talent, but seems FPL wise to be a big 'almost' player

    2. Amey
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      1
      Playing Burnley & hudds in 31 and 33, both are out of fa cup

      1. Amey
        • 5 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Ohh
        Zero probability i mean 😛

    3. PrettyDick
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      God only knows with those lot..

      But I'd definitely hold the transfer, first I don't think Richarlison will drop for over a week and second unless you're just 0.1 off then I'd say wait there's too much time until the next game.

      IF you were do to the transfer I'd look at Jota or Felipe Anderson instead, maybe even Martial if the money is there. Depending on the rest of your team you could also transfer in someone like Hayden and upgrade elsewhere (he'd be on the bench obv, but playing 90min every week, great fixtures and can get you G+A).

      good luck whatever you choose

      1. PrettyDick
        • 6 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Sorry, I misread that. Thought you were asking for the chances of their players blanking.. yeah, like "Amey" said, 0.

    4. Bow Locks
      • 14 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      No blank, set pieces but it's Maddison. I'm still thinking about a Leicester mid myself.

  4. StayoutheSpiceZone
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Saw previous comments about United being taught a lesson by Liverpool and being written off in their upcoming games.

    In my opinion, United are favourites.

    1. Now I'm Panicking
      • 9 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Grav suggests a hint of bias 😉

      1. StayoutheSpiceZone
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        I am a blade mate. No bias!

        1. Now I'm Panicking
          • 9 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Ha ha fair enough mate 🙂

        2. jtreble
          • 7 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          “... I am a blade mate ...”. Can someone tell me what this means? Is this a UKism?

          1. Nomar
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 14 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            He's a Sheffield United fan
            They are called The Blades.

            1. jtreble
              • 7 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              Ah, understood. Thanks for your reply.

    2. Amey
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Some fans are trying to win the match even before it has started 😀

    3. G-Whizz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Even Bookies in Manchester don't agree with you...

      1. jtreble
        • 7 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        What are the odds given in the UK?

        1. Goat
          • 6 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          11/8 to qualify. 4/7 psg

          2.375 in decimal

        2. G-Whizz
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • Has Moderation Rights
          • 6 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Best odds you can get are showing as:

          Man Utd 2/1 Draw 21/8 Liverpool 6/4

          1. Now I'm Panicking
            • 9 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            Interesting. Wouldn't touch that 6/4 with a barge pole personally. Man U draw no bet might be decent value.

            1. Now I'm Panicking
              • 9 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              Actually, with half my FPL team playing in that game I'll leave my money in my pocket I think!

            2. Goat
              • 6 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              Yes great bet. Will be backing that at 11/10

          2. jtreble
            • 7 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            Exactly the same as Vegas. Interesting.

    4. jtreble
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      I’ll take that bet. Happy to do escrow.

  5. #FPLBhuna
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    thoughts on siggy + ings > fraser + king (-4) double up

    one week punt

    1. #FPLBhuna
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      also, if ings is fit for the arsenal game, would you keep him?

      1. AuFeld
        • 7 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Looks good. I would be tempted to even hold onto one of them for the GW30 fixture swing.

        I wouldn't keep Ings. Constantly injured. I prefer Ashley Barnes at Ing's price point.

    2. pingissimus
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      If you can bench at least one of them in 28/9 then go for it. Wolves are leaky at the back and Bournemouth home are a proposition.

  6. Zladan
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Is there a Mod here to create a UCL Fantasy Hot Topic? It would be appreciated.

    With the overhaul active between group stage and knockout games starting tonight there’s a lot to discuss.

    1. Legomané
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      link me a post and i'll hulk

      1. Zladan
        • 6 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        So far there are only RMTs. I will throw one together now with topics to discuss and link it here.

        1. Legomané
          • Has Moderation Rights
          • 6 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          great - thank! 🙂

            1. G-Whizz
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • Has Moderation Rights
              • 6 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              Done 🙂

              1. Zladan
                • 6 Years
                5 years, 1 month ago

                Cheers

              2. Legomané
                • Has Moderation Rights
                • 6 Years
                5 years, 1 month ago

                Cheers G 🙂

    2. Pierce34
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      That would be a good idea. I'm a complete casual in UCL fantasy so I'd like to be spoonfed 😆

      1. Zladan
        • 6 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        It has been hulked now.

        There’s a fair few who play in these parts so good if we can discuss there. Hard to find UCL stuff in amongst every other FPL post.

  7. Goat
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Would anyone recommend Amazon prime? I’m bored of Netflix...

    1. BobbyDoesNotLook
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Yes. Free period plus first 6m for approx 3€

      1. Goat
        • 6 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        I made the plunge earlier. Very happy with it. Change of scenery, in HD and extremely cheap

  8. Zladan
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    UCL Fantasy Matchday 7 - Overhaul.

    The overhaul (unlimited transfers) is currently active and we have hours left until the deadline.

    Which teams will you be loading up on?

    Who are the best enablers?

    Who are your 4 captain choices?

    1. Zladan
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Reposted on latest article.

  9. #FPLBhuna
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    best combo

    a) fanderson + rondon/king/arnie
    b) fraser + rondon/king/arnie
    c) jota + rondon/king/arnie
    d) maddison + rondon/king/arnie

  10. New Article
  11. The Enlightener
    • 10 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Once again, my joy of having Monday assets on the pitch was crushed by p!$$ poor play by said assets. Jimenez, Moutinho and Doherty - All brought in a hefty 2 points apiece. Thanks, jerks.

  12. Codsall ay i
    • 5 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Selling Sané & Firmino, will have £20.5m to spend. Any advice on who to buy ?

    1. Codsall ay i
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Have got Salah, Pogba, Son, Rashford & Jiménez already.