New Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers watched on as his side recorded their first Premier League win since New Year’s Day.
It was yet another match without a clean sheet for the Foxes but there were more promising signs from their more attack-minded Fantasy assets ahead of some appealing top-flight fixtures over the next seven Gameweeks.
Upon his unveiling as the new Leicester boss shortly before the Tuesday night win over Brighton and Hove Albion, Rodgers said:
The big attraction for me is working with the players. It’s a young squad, a very dynamic squad, it’s got huge potential and you’ve got some of the players with good experience also. There were a number of factors in being here and, like I say, I’m absolutely delighted.
Coming into the club at this point of the season, it’s never normally ideal, but it gives me the chance to observe and analyse the players over this last period of games.
Myself and my staff will come in and we’ll look to immediately put in place our philosophy and that identity that my teams normally play with and hopefully then over the course of time, the supporters will recognise that and they’ll come to enjoy it.
My teams always are very structured. That’s how we train, how we work. If you put it on a slide and scale, the team is very structured, but it also has improvisation.
If I look at the squad of players, it’s got players with fantastic experience, it’s got some young, dynamic players that are fast and technically good, and what I try to impose on to the ideas of how we play is that commitment to our work.
Supporters maybe have seen my teams at Swansea and at Liverpool and at Celtic and will recognise how intensely we try to press the game and from that.
That’s the base then to use your qualities technically so that will be something that we look to do over the course of time and that will take place straight after the game and into our first training session.
Rodgers’ comments about “observing and analysing” in the remaining ten Gameweeks of the season perhaps suggest he has one eye on 2019/20 already but the former Liverpool manager’s track record with younger players is encouraging for Fantasy bosses who count Leicester assets among their ranks, given how youthful this City side is.
The ex-Celtic head coach will take charge of Leicester for the first time at Watford in Gameweek 29, with last night’s 2-1 victory over struggling Brighton the chief focus of our Scout Notes article below.
We also run the rule over Everton’s 3-0 win at Cardiff City.
Leicester City 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion
- Goals: Demarai Gray (£5.4m), Jamie Vardy (£8.8m) | Davy Propper (£4.8m)
- Assists: Youri Tielemans (£6.0m), James Maddison (£6.6m)
He may have blanked at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday night but the performance of Harvey Barnes (£5.5m) caught the eye from a Fantasy perspective as Leicester bounced back to winning ways against a Brighton side that are still without a league victory in 2019.
Barnes was again deployed on the left flank in a 4-1-4-1 and terrorised Martin Montoya (£4.3m) down Brighton’s right, with the 21-year-old winger registering more touches in the final third, shots (albeit without hitting the target; Barnes’ finishing evidently needs a lot of work) and penalty box touches than any of his team-mates.
Indeed, no FPL asset in any of the four Gameweek 28 matches contested on Tuesday evening could match Barnes for attempts on goal or touches in the opposition area.
Uncertainty over security of starts was initially off-putting regarding Barnes’ Fantasy appeal but the young winger has now started Leicester’s last four Premier League matches.
While it remains to be seen how Rodgers utilises the 21-year-old wide-man, the fact that the new Leicester boss favours a high press and an attacking game would surely stand the pacy youngster in good stead.
Another positive is that one challenger to Barnes’ left-wing role, Demarai Gray (£5.4m), impressed on the opposite flank against the Seagulls.
Gray lashed in Leicester’s opener from a superb Youri Tielemans‘ (£6.0m) pass and could have had a second shortly after when his low strike was parried by Mathew Ryan (£4.5m).
There was evidently no love lost between Jamie Vardy (£8.8m) and Claude Puel and it remains to be seen if the Leicester striker, who has looked out of sorts this season, can regain his form now the French manager has departed the King Power Stadium.
Vardy scored five goals in as many matches straight after another alleged adversary, Claudio Ranieri, departed Leicester in February 2017 and the hope for existing and prospective owners of the Foxes’ striker is that Rodgers’ footballing ethos is more of a natural fit for the premium FPL forward.
Vardy scored Leicester’s second last night from a James Maddison (£6.6m) pass, though failed to hit the target with any of his three other efforts.
The challenge for Rodgers in the seven winnable games to come is to turn Vardy from a counter-attacking menace into someone who can sustain a serious goal threat in home matches or fixtures against the “minnows”: six of Vardy’s nine league goals this season have come away from home.
Maddison finally got some tangible Fantasy reward for his impressive rate of key passes but his latest display was again something of a mixed bag, with his set-piece deliveries occasionally found wanting and his central midfield position alongside the quietly impressive Tielemans in Mike Stowell’s 4-1-4-1 meaning that he often dropped into more deeper, less threatening positions.
The former Norwich City star, indeed, didn’t manage a single shot on goal.
Nevertheless, a mid-price midfielder who has created more chances than any other FPL player this season still merits considerable interest and it will intriguing to monitor his progression (and position) under Rodgers in the weeks to come.
Leicester’s full-backs were perhaps not as heavily involved as they usually are but the fit-again Ben Chilwell (£5.0m) almost recorded an assist when Ryan kept out Gray’s 14th-minute effort.
Having impressed without reward against Liverpool, Manchester United and Spurs, Leicester’s defence has looked ropey in the last two Gameweeks and they are without a clean sheet in seven league fixtures.
Glenn Murray (£6.3m) wasted two excellent second-half opportunities for the visitors, while Kasper Schmeichel (£5.0m) brilliantly denied Anthony Knockaert (£5.2m) before the break.
Shane Duffy (£4.7m) once again underscored his aerial threat from set-play situations, meanwhile, with three attempts on his own.
Davy Propper (£4.8m) finally breached the home defence midway through the second period after Knockaert’s deflected cross fell into his stride.
Brighton enjoyed plenty of the ball and arguably deserved to leave Leicester with a point, with Chris Hughton ruing his side’s missed chances:
Sometimes you have to hold up your hands that you have been beaten by a far better team. That wasn’t the case. I thought it was a very even game on levels of possession and good chances.
But the game is won and lost at both ends and, at the moment, if we are not putting away chances we have got to make sure we are not conceding. Those small margins are not going for us at the moment and it is only us that can do something about it.
Hughton also backed Murray to bounce back from his misses:
There will be nobody more disappointed than Glenn is. If there is anybody you wanted that type of opportunity to go to, it would be Glenn.
But he is always there to have those chances. He is certainly one who will not shy away from being in front of goal and putting himself in the firing line.
The Brighton boss provided an update on Pascal Gross (£6.7m), who limped off in the second half:
He felt his hamstring, that we know, but how badly I don’t know.
Murray, Jurgen Locadia (£5.3m) and Lewis Dunk (£4.4m) all shrugged off knocks to play some part in last night’s encounter, while winger Jose Izquierdo (£5.9m) registered his first minutes since Gameweek 15 after returning from injury.
Leicester City XI (4-1-4-1): Schmeichel; Ricardo, Evans, Maguire, Chilwell; Ndidi; Gray, Tielemans (Mendy 69′); Maddison (Okazaki 90′), Barnes; Vardy (Iheanacho 90′).
Brighton and Hove Albion XI (4-3-3): Ryan; Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Bong; Stephens (Izquierdo 81′), Propper, Gross (Bissouma 51′); March (Locadia 67′), Murray, Knockaert.
Cardiff City 0-3 Everton
- Goals: Gylfi Sigurdsson (£7.2m) x2, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.3m)
- Assists: Seamus Coleman (£5.2m), Idrissa Gueye (£4.7m)
The pressure on Marco Silva eased slightly after Everton cruised to a 3-0 victory over struggling Cardiff City on Tuesday night.
The Toffees had enjoyed a 17-day break due to their non-involvement in both the FA Cup and Gameweek 27 and the Everton boss said his troops benefited from the respite after a busy start to 2019:
We had time to prepare which was important and we could work on what we wanted to. The most important thing for us is winning points to boost our confidence and now we have to rest and recover.
We have a big test [against Liverpool] on Sunday and I know how important it is for the fans and our opponents. We know how we lost the first game at Anfield and we can achieve victory at our own ground.
As Silva mentioned there, a much stiffer test awaits at Goodison Park on Sunday.
Everton didn’t need to be particularly good on Tuesday to see off Neil Warnock’s limited side, who didn’t register a single shot on target throughout.
Nevertheless, this was an improved performance from the Toffees after some pitiful showings against the likes of Watford, Wolves and Southampton in recent weeks.
Gylfi Sigurdsson (£7.2m) had been one of the worst offenders as Everton’s form slumped, with the Icelandic midfielder having scored only one goal and banked no assists in his previous eight showings.
The mid-price FPL midfielder bounced back at Cardiff with a double-digit haul, however.
Silva perhaps sagely abandoned the failed Gameweek 26 experiment of playing Sigurdsson on the left flank, even though it meant Tom Davies (£5.1m) – one of the Toffees’ better performers over the last month – dropping out of the starting XI (and indeed match-day squad) in order to accommodate the Iceland international’s return in “the hole”.
A refreshed-looking Sigurdsson rewarded his manager with well-taken goals either side of the break, the first a low finish from a Seamus Coleman (£5.2m) cut-back and the second a rising effort after fine work from substitute Bernard (£5.9m) down the Everton left.
Silva said of his attacking midfielder:
Of course, he is an important player for us. All of you are seeing a different Gylfi Sigurdsson this season. He deserved those goals, they are important to him because in the next match you will see Gylfi playing with more confidence.
He’s player who always gives everything, every single day at Finch Farm and in the matches. Even when he cannot perform at his high level he is always giving everything. When he can score and assist it is important because it boosts his confidence.
This season, we have given him a different role. Tonight I saw Gylfi linking more with the two midfielders [Gana and Schneiderlin] which is something I want more in his game.
This was, of course, “only” Cardiff. Fantasy managers will likely need further convincing of his worth (Sigurdsson’s brace came from his only two shots of the match) and Everton have some tricky fixtures ahead, even if they have the incentive of being one of only eight teams with guaranteed matches in Gameweeks 31 and 33.
While Sigurdsson was showing some semblance of form, Richarlison‘s (£6.6m) alarming dip in performance levels continued in South Wales.
Whether it was disinterest, frustration or the same fatigue that afflicted him in the second half of 2017/18, the Brazilian produced another ineffective showing despite being moved back to the left flank.
The former Watford midfielder produced only one shot on goal (a blocked one, at that) and didn’t register a single key pass before being hooked on the hour in a decision Silva later confirmed was “tactical” and not injury-related.
The Brazil international has one goal and no assists in his last nine Premier League appearances and, given how well Bernard performed on his introduction, there has to be some doubt about Richarlison’s involvement in the Merseyside derby this weekend.
Theo Walcott (£6.0m) faded out of the game after a bright-ish start on the opposite flank, meanwhile, though did at least register more shots and penalty box touches than any of his team-mates.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.3m) led the line fairly well and scored late on to put the gloss on Everton’s victory, curling past Neil Etheridge (£4.7m) in stoppage-time.
Silva explained his decision to start with Morgan Schneiderlin (£4.2m) over Andre Gomes (£5.4m) and Davies in midfield, meanwhile:
He started the game a little bit with doubts but found his level. Morgan gave to me the last 15 days the right answer. Tom [Davies] and Andre [Gomes] did well in the last game but I am here to take the decision about the best 11 for each match.
It doesn’t mean the next match I can’t start with Andre or Tom.
Lucas Digne (£5.3m) and his fellow Everton defenders banked what was perhaps their easiest clean sheet of the season as Cardiff offered little threat in attack.
One early opportunity that Digne poked away from an incoming Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (£4.8m) was as close as the Bluebirds came to getting on the scoresheet, while a defence that had largely held their own against sides outside of the “big six” this season have now shipped eight goals in two matches.
Warnock admitted his side were well beaten and hinted that some of his starting XI didn’t impress him in defeat:
Individuals not staying with their man, it was elementary marking and we got punished twice. And that’s the difference at this level. The lads were complaining Bobby Reid was fouled before the first goal, but we had possession twice and gave it away.
It was an uphill battle, I couldn’t see us scoring tonight.
I’ve got an idea what my team will be on Saturday [against Wolves]. I only want people who in the trenches on Saturday that I can trust. One or two let me down tonight.
I wanted to give one or two opportunities tonight and we had one or two problems in the camp as well. Everybody should be available hopefully for the weekend.
The likes of Mendez-Laing and Junior Hoilett (£5.0m) failed to impress on rare starts on the flank, which could pave the way for Callum Paterson (£5.0m) and Josh Murphy‘s (£4.8m) returns in Gameweek 29.
Loanee Oumar Niasse (£5.0m) will be available for that match too after being ineligible to face his parent club on Tuesday.
Warnock also provided an update on Victor Camarasa (£4.6m) and explained why Joe Ralls (£4.6m) and Harry Arter (£4.9m) were omitted from the starting XI:
[Camarasa] will be alright on Saturday because his advisors say he’s fit for Saturday.
When he plays, I can’t fault him. He’s an excellent player, gives us a bit more class than we’ve got usually. Doesn’t shirk. One of the ones you want alongside you, really.
I felt [Arter] was disappointing on Friday night, second half. I just felt we needed a bit of a change, I wanted to get Bobby Reid in the team.
And Rallsy had got a bit of a pelvic problem tonight, as well. We were a little bit short in there but I don’t think that was the reason they scored the goals. It was just mistakes again.
Cardiff City XI (4-2-3-1): Etheridge; Manga, Morrison, Bamba, Bennett; Bacuna, Gunnarsson; Mendez-Laing (Paterson 69′), Cordova-Reid, Hoilett (Murphy 68′); Zohore (Ward 81′).
Everton XI (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Jagielka, Digne; Schneiderlin, Gueye; Walcott (Lookman 82′), Sigurdsson (Gomes 88′), Richarlison (Bernard 61′); Calvert-Lewin.
