Spurs’ key midfield FPL assets avoid rotation but blank in West Ham loss

Yet another Champions League-chasing side slipped up in the race for a top-four place as Tottenham Hotspur slumped to a 1-0 home defeat to West Ham United on Saturday lunchtime.

The Lilywhites’ four most-owned midfielders – Son Heung-min, Dele Alli, Lucas Moura and Christian Eriksen – all started in north London as the much-feared wholesale rotation failed to materialise but there were blanks all round for Spurs’ Fantasy assets.

It’ll be little consolation for FPL managers who own the likes of Son and Eriksen but West Ham’s win could be beneficial to the Fantasy community in the season run-in, with Spurs, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea potentially all still in contention for – or needing results to secure – a Champions League spot (and therefore naming strong sides) in Gameweek 38.

That eventuality will also depend on results tomorrow and in Gameweek 37, of course, and three of those four clubs (including Spurs) have European semi-finals to contest over the next fortnight.

We analyse the Saturday lunchtime game from a Fantasy perspective in the Scout Notes article below.

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 West Ham United

• Goal: Michail Antonio (£6.8m)
• Assist: Marko Arnautovic (£6.7m)

Mauricio Pochettino said “stress and fatigue” were mitigating factors after his Spurs side fell to their first defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

After Saturday’s match, Pochettino was asked if his team had one eye on the UEFA Champions League tie against Ajax on Tuesday but said:

I don’t believe, I think we cannot say now we were thinking about Tuesday. When the stress and fatigue arrived, that is our reality. We are a very competitive team when we are with full energy, when we are so focused.

The stress and the fatigue arrived, we are competing with circumstances that are not the best. Nothing to say, the effort is there and is fantastic, but I’m disappointed with the result because that result wasn’t in our plan, but you need to accept – that is football.

It is difficult to see that tiredness alleviating in Gameweek 37, with Spurs’ trip to Bournemouth falling right in the middle of their double-header against Ajax.

Fatigue certainly appeared to play a part as a leggy-looking Spurs struggled to break down an admittedly excellent West Ham backline, who registered only their second away clean sheet of the season.

Pochettino had initially lined his side up in a 4-4-2 diamond, with anchor Eric Dier (£4.7m) and “number ten” Dele Alli (£8.8m) at the tips of that midfield four.

Christian Eriksen (£9.3m) and “out of position” FPL defender Danny Rose (£5.8m) were deployed in central midfield in between those two players, with Eriksen’s deep role limiting his influence on the game.

The Dane still managed to register five touches in the West Ham box but he was often lagging well behind Spurs’ attacks and occasionally wayward with his distribution, registering only one key pass all game.

Eriksen’s only serious chance came after a rare mistake from the otherwise superb Issa Diop (£4.2m) but Lukasz Fabianski (£4.7m) stood up well to deny the Denmark international.

Alli was another who failed to impress and didn’t trouble the West Ham goalkeeper once despite his more advanced role but did create more opportunities than anyone on show, including an early “big chance” for Son Heung-min (£8.9m).

The South Korean was initially paired up front with Lucas Moura (£6.8m) before later moving to a wide-right position in a 4-2-3-1 and was as bright as any Spurs player early on, registering four shots in the first half alone.

Son should perhaps have done better with that aforementioned big chance and his impact waned considerably after the break, especially after being shunted out to the right flank.

Lucas had only one low fizzing shot to show for his efforts before being replaced midway through the second half and the fact that substitute Vincent Janssen (£4.5m) had Spurs’ best opportunity of the final 45 minutes summed up the contributions of his weary team-mates after the interval.

The Dutch striker, on as a 77th-minute substitute, nodded a Juan Foyth (£5.0m) cross goalward in stoppage time but saw Fabian Balbuena (£4.2m) hack the ball off the line.

Pochettino admitted that his side had disappointed after the break, saying:

I think first half was good for us. Second half they were better. I think they showed more energy than us in the second half.

We conceded a lot of space to run to players like Arnautovic and Antonio who can create problems for us when you concede that space, because we didn’t find a way to manage the ball properly and I think we lost a lot of balls, unforced, and we gave them the possibility to make their game.

West Ham’s improved recent performances continued in north London as they remained steady at the back throughout and showed plenty of attacking ambition in the second half.

In defence, Ryan Fredericks (£4.5m) was solid at right-back but the colossal Diop was arguably the man of the match, deservedly picking up three bonus points after making 17 clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBIs) – more than any other defender in Gameweek 36 so far.

Diop almost capped off his display with a goal but could only produce a tame shot after slaloming his way through the Spurs defence.

Mark Noble (£4.8m) and Declan Rice (£4.5m) formed an effective shield in front of the back four, too, giving the Hammers’ attackers the platform to express themselves in the second half.

The fact that lone striker Marko Arnautovic (£6.7m) only had seven touches in the first half said a great deal about how anonymous he was before the break but the Austrian sprang into life after half-time, twice curling efforts at Hugo Lloris (£5.4m) and seeing another shot deflected over.

Arnautovic also produced a fine assist for West Ham’s winning goal, which was lashed in by the lively Michail Antonio (£6.9m).

Speaking of the Austrian striker, Pellegrini said:

Arnautovic was very good. He made a brilliant pass for Antonio’s goal. It has been a difficult season but I am sure that we will recover the player that he could be.

Asked if the former Stoke player had an injury problem upon his withdrawal, the Hammers’ boss replied:

I think he just felt a little problem in his muscle but nothing serious.

Antonio, playing on the right in Manuel Pellegrini’s 4-1-4-1, had more penalty box touches and efforts on goal than any of his team-mates and ought to have doubled his side’s lead late on when outmuscling Ben Davies (£5.6m) and firing straight at Lloris from the edge of the six-yard box.

Felipe Anderson‘s (£6.9m) improved recent displays continued and the Brazilian now sits in the top ten among midfielders for shots in the box, overall attempts, penalty box touches and efforts on target in the last four Gameweeks.

This was another creditable performance from the Hammers against a “big six” side, with Pellegrini’s troops now having only conceded six goals in their last six meetings with those half-dozen teams.

Speaking of their record against the bigger clubs, Pellegrini said:

If you review our games against the big six, Arsenal we played well in both, Manchester United also. Against Chelsea most part of the second half of the second game, at home we played well.

Against Tottenham we lost 1-0 at home but also a very tight game, today we won. We demonstrate that we are able to play as a big team and they must demonstrate that they are better.

While Spurs’ midfield assets avoided rotation, Kieran Trippier (£6.0m) and Jan Vertonghen (£5.6m) were two high-profile names to make way from the home defence.

Trippier was among the substitutes but Vertonghen wasn’t risked because of “fatigue“.

When asked if his any of his sidelined players would be available for the Ajax game, Pochettino said:

Vertonghen, for sure. Sissoko, I don’t know. We need to assess tomorrow. I think Harry Winks, no.

Pochettino was later asked if Harry Kane (£12.6m) could return before the end of the season and replied:

We will see what happens. If you said to me he is going to be available for the second leg in Ajax or the last game against Everton, I don’t know. For sure, it is going to be difficult.

If we are capable to beat Ajax and be in the final on June 1, then maybe yes. Yesterday we were talking about that, we’ll see.

Tottenham Hotspur XI (4-3-1-2): Lloris; Foyth, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Davies; Eriksen, Dier, Rose (Janssen 77′); Alli (Wanyama 85′); Lucas Moura (Llorente 66′), Son.

West Ham United XI (4-1-4-1): Fabianski; Fredericks, Balbuena, Diop, Masuaku; Rice; Antonio, Noble (Ogbonna 85′), Snodgrass (Obiang 77′), Anderson; Arnautovic (Perez 80′).