Scout Notes

FPL managers face ongoing Pep rotation after much-changed City lose to Saints

Southampton 1-0 Manchester City

  • Goal: Che Adams (£5.3m)
  • Assist: Stuart Armstrong (£5.2m)
  • Bonus: Alex McCarthy (£4.5m), Adams x3, Kyle Walker-Peters (£4.4m) x1

A wonder goal from Che Adams (£5.3m) and a defensive performance that was the bus-park version of 300 meets Dunkirk produced one of the more unlikely wins of this longest league season.

Short version: Southampton score after 16 minutes and Manchester City fail in their attempts to equalise.

Stats version: Only three City players (out of the 13 who play) don’t have a shot – and one of those is Ederson (£6.0m).

Fantasy version: Danny Ings (£7.3m) doesn’t score, Kevin De Bruyne (£10.8m) doesn’t start and the bonus points are shared out between three players with a combined ownership of 4.3% in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

Full version…

City coach Pep Guardiola almost out-pepped himself by making six changes to his side, with benchings for the 52.2%-owned De Bruyne and Phil Foden (£5.4m), whose 12-point heroics against Liverpool in Gameweek 32+ had earned him nearly 200,000 new managers. The 12.2%-owned Kyle Walker (£5.6m) was another sent for an evening of social isolation behind the dug-outs.

As for Southampton, close to 100,000 had bought Ings on the back of his stellar Project Restart form – three goals and one assist – but the Saints frontman blanked.

One of the key reasons for that was he had just the one attempt all match. It was a great opportunity, on 44 minutes, that he blasted over from inside the area, and it was a rare one – Southampton’s only big chance of the match.

City had five such clear-cut opportunities.

Two came in a frantic few seconds of play in the first half that summed up the entire match.

Home goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (£4.5m) was forced into a fine save at his near post from a fierce Raheem Sterling (£11.7m) drive. The ball found its way out to Fernandinho (£5.1m), whose deflected shot hit the inside of the post but stayed out. Possession was recycled to the right flank, where a cross led to another McCarthy save, this time from a David Silva (£7.3m) header, before Sterling narrowly curled wide from the rebound.

All of that happened after the Saints went ahead.

Adams had been selected up front alongside Ings in a 4-4-2 formation that conceded the width of the pitch to the visitors while giving Southampton two players available for quick counters and the opportunity for a high press.

So when Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.2m) mis-controlled the ball in his own half, the home side had the personnel on hand to capitalise.

Stuart Armstrong (£5.2m) put in a challenge and the ball fell to Adams. The striker had gone 29 matches without a goal for his new club. Such a run invites doubt and dark thoughts. But Adams didn’t stop to think when the ball arrived at his feet. Instead, he curled a wondrous first-time lob, from 39 yards, over Ederson and into the net.

To claim that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side just parked the bus from then on in was not entirely true. They worked Ederson four times in total and broke with consistent purpose over the 90 minutes.

But their victory was definitely built on a backs-to-the-wall doggedness – and some slices of good fortune – that made for a one-sided affair involving pure anguish for the many Fantasy managers with City assets in their squads.

Both Riyad Mahrez (£8.6m and 10.3%) and Sterling, owned by 16.3%, endured a frustrating evening before being subbed off on 59 minutes, thus robbing their owners of another appearance point to soften the blow of their blanks.

Their replacements, Foden and De Bruyne, fared no better, although the Belgian’s work-rate was phenomenal – more of that in the Members Analysis section.

The two Silvas, David and Bernardo (£7.7m), mustered seven attempts between them, only to be repelled by a mix of McCarthy, any number of Southampton defenders throwing their bodies in the way and, occasionally, the duo’s own profligacy in front of goal.

But neither was as wasteful as Gabriel Jesus (£9.6m).

The Brazilian has managed only one assist since football returned. And he’s scored just the one goal since Gameweek 22.

He had plenty of chances to rectify that at St Mary’s Stadium. Six chances, to be exact, of which three were clear-cut opportunities, including a couple of close-range headers he really should have buried.

Still owned by just 4% in FPL, Jesus should really be a tempting differential option for City’s final fixtures, which will involve Newcastle at home and then four of the bottom six. But his woeful lack of form, and good ‘ol Pep Roulette, mean he remains strangely unattractive.

His future is not looking bright at present, and Guardiola, while describing yesterday’s game, could have been talking about what is still to come as well:

With ten Southampton players on the penalty spot, it’s difficult. I am so proud. I like the way we played but it’s not enough. It’s not a complaint of the players. Far from it. The game was a little bit of a repeat of how some games have gone this season – one mistake and they punished us. After, we created a lot, but as I say, they had ten players behind the ball.

Such a strong run of fixtures pretty much demands inclusion of key City assets in your Fantasy side, just with the usual caveats involving rotation.

As for the Saints, trips to in-form Everton and Manchester United are up next, which doesn’t exactly scream ‘buy buy buy!’.

But despite being safe for another season of top-flight football, the players have made it clear they’re not beach-ready just yet, with three wins from their last four matches.

They obviously relished the chance to stick it to the Man City yesterday, and they’ll need to keep channelling that doggedness over the next two matches before their schedule (BHA, bou, SHU) eases and the attacking points might come rather more easy again.


Southampton XI (4-4-2): McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand; Armstrong (Smallbone 90′), Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Redmond; Ings, Adams (Long 70′).

Manchester City XI (4-1-2-3): Ederson; Cancelo, Garcia, Laporte, Zinchenko; Fernandinho; Silva, Bernardo; Mahrez (De Bruyne 59′), Jesus, Sterling (Foden 59′).

MEMBERS ANALYSIS

View the full player and team data from Southampton v Manchester City here

FPL Lessons Learned from Gameweek 33+

3,158 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Henning
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    3.7 m in the bank

    1. William/Pulisic in for Mount
    2. Aurier/Walker/Digne in for Lundstram

    Pope
    TAA Boly Stevens
    KDB Fernandes Son Martial
    Jimenez Vardy Greenwood

    Leno Mount Fernandez Lundstram

    1. Soto Ayam
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      William, auri

  2. SpagBol
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Hey guys,

    I'm thinking of playing my BB this week as my bench have:

    Pope, Taylor - whu
    Saiss - shu
    Greenwood - avl

    Is this the right decision to be playing my BB this week, and also what move would you make for my FT this week?

    Cheers!

    _____________________________________
    1FT and 0.1M left

    Ederson
    TAA AWB Aurier
    Salah KDB Mahrez Fernandes Willian
    Jimenez Ings

    Pope | Taylor Saiss Greenwood
    _____________________________________

    Or is BB GW37 the better option with my bench having amazing fixtures vs Norwich, Crystal Palace, and West Ham

    1. Soto Ayam
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Save BB and ft

  3. bigbudgie
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Thinking of going Antonio over Foden tbh. Have KDB and mahrez already

  4. juicewagz
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    How do I get KDB into this team? 1FT, 0.8ITB

    De Gea, Button
    Doherty, Saiss, Van Dijk, Aurier, Lascelles
    KDB, Foden, Martial, Pulisic, Alli
    Kane, Greenwood, Jimenez

    1. Lukakwho
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      he seems to be already there

      1. Park the bus
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 8 months ago

        Lukakwho the magician, well done mate best bit of assistance i've ever seen on here

    2. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      You've already got him in.

  5. Gomolon
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Do people actually think Salah is a good option or are they just afraid to get rid because of ownership numbers? Liverpool haven't looked good lately and have a tight fixture schedule so more rotation should be expected (like the Villa game).

    Tempted to do Salah to Foden, the only question is if I do it this week or next week (already have KDB and Mahrez)

    1. Park the bus
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      It's a tough one. i know he can explode but realistically not sure how many times i would captain him from here on in. almost certain he won't feature in my free hit team whenever i play it put it that way

  6. Ci Siamo
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Should I save my FT? 3.6 itb....

    Ederson
    Egan - Saiss - Trent
    KDB - Mahrez - Bruno - Son
    Rashford - Greenwood - Jimmy

    1. Park the bus
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Looks like a pretty solid team for this week, i would save

    2. n-doggg
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Save free, unless you want to upgrade saiss to Doherty

  7. Park the bus
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Pope (4.0)
    TAA AWB Doherty (Femenia Fernandez)
    Salah KDB Martial Bruno (D.Luiz)
    DCL Ings Jiminez

    Save FT this week? need to upgrade D.Luiz and have funds for Saka but also want to get Greenwood in so need to ship AWB - thinking 2 FTs next week should allow me to do this

    1. n-doggg
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      No need for drastic changes this week. Greenwood is attractive asset but would you start him each week? Who would you bench? He is surely going to get a few 15min 1 pointers

  8. n-doggg
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Hi all. I have 2FTs and 0.3 itb but not sure where to best spend the cash. Any thoughts?

    Martinez, 3.9
    TAA, Doherty, holgate, Kiko, lascelles
    Mane, Kdb, Bruno, martial, dendonker
    Rashford, dcl, jiminez

    Thanks all

    1. Muchentuchel
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      I'd get Greenwood for Rash.
      Both seem to be nailed and United have nice fixtures.

      1. n-doggg
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 8 months ago

        Think Rashford will get way more minutes than greenwood and on pens rotation with Bruno so will be sticking by him for the meantime, thanks

  9. juicewagz
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Pick one to start:

    A) Doherty / Jimenez

    or

    B) Doherty / Saiss

  10. 23bshumaker
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Who is everyone captaining?

    KBD or Bruno

    And what’s your reasoning? I’m thinking Bruno but I’m starting to second guess myself

  11. test-mat-20211202.3
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Thanks for sharing this great blog play fantasy football and win cash prizes

  12. Goonermeister
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    700 in the world not a bad way to end the overall